A couple doors down from the West side Spudz-n-Stuff sits a new business.

No neon sign hangs outside for now, but black lights, neon paint and photography light up the inside.

A DJ booth and a small dance floor sit on the left side of the room and wait for people to come visit.

Oasis Hookah Lounge enters its third weekend of business.

“We don’t know what kind of Oasis it is yet – desert or tropical,” co-owner Paul Shutte said. “Right now it’s more of a college-kid basement feel.”

Shutte received an inheritance three years ago when his mother passed away from cancer.

He said he already has enough for his school savings, and whatever that was left over he wanted to have an opportunity do to something productive.

“Peter (Wohlford) and I were sitting at my house smoking hookah, and it just popped up about starting a hookah bar,” Shutte said.

Shutte said he got up and went to talk to his dad that same night.

“In a course of a week, we had everything planned out,” Shutte said.

Oasis’ main focus is gathering college students in, Shutte said.

In a random survey taken by Daily Science, 40.3 percent of college students smoked hookah at least once.  

A hookah is a smoking pipe that cools off tobacco with water placed at the bottom of a glass urn. The tobacco can come in many flavors and can be smoother than a cigarette.

Shutte said compared to another hookah in Evansville, he thinks Oasis offers more flavors to pick from.

“We obviously have faster service, as well,” he said. “And we have a friendly demeanor. We’ve never once had anyone in a bad mood.”

The atmosphere is more laid back, Shutte said.

USI freshman Oasis employee Nicole Wheeler also said she thinks the environment is better at Oasis.

“It’s upbeat,” Wheeler said. “We take care of the hookahs better and the environment is a lot friendly.”

She said the employees take care of the customers, but they come out from the back and meet a few people as well.

“I think (Oasis) is a great idea,” Wheeler said. “I know a lot of people don’t want to drive all the way over to the East side to smoke hookah.”

She said Shutte and Wohlford are “genuinely awesome people.”

“(Shutte) and (Wohlford) are out talking all the time to people,” Wheeler said. “I respect them a lot, and they are easy to get along with.”

Wheeler said she missed the bus on Monday to get to work, and she called Oasis and explained her situation.

“They work with my school schedule and my other work schedule,” she said.

Oasis’ grand opening was April 13.

“We had 157 people show up opening night,” co-owner Peter Wohlford said. “The weekends are pretty busy, and a relax atmosphere during the week.”

Right now, “word of mouth” is Oasis’ main advertising, said the USI freshman.

“Money is a little tight right now,” Wohlford said.

A main sign for Oasis can cost as much as $4,000, Wohlford said.

“There are a lot of hidden costs we didn’t expect,” he said.

Half way through the process of Oasis, the tobacco ban came into effect.

It is a new business, and they are trying to do everything by the books, Wohlford said.

SIDEBAR

Current Hours of operation:

Sunday through Thursday: 7 p.m. to midnight

Friday, Saturday: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Average Hookah: $15

Student discount with ID: $11.26

Weekends cover charge: $4 

Open Mic Night: Wednesday 

Free Wii-Fi