Karma Lounge Opens on Ferry Street
By Lorenzo Recupero
If your fancy is enjoying a smoke while having an adult beverage but you’re finding it hard to locate a landing pad for such a time locally, Karma Lounge has got you covered.
At 355 Ferry Street, the former home of Castillo’s, you’ll find Karma Lounge, an indoor haven for all cigar and hookah smokers alike.
The hookah and cigar lounge offered at Karma is the first of its kind in Everett history, something 29-year old owner, Varun Punj, is quite proud of.
“When we went looking for a location and a city we could someday open up a smoke lounge, Everett was the one city that was open to our idea,” said Punj, a Malden native and Suffolk University graduate, who was happy to keep the business closer to home.
“Mayor DeMaria appreciated what we were bringing to the city and thought it was very positive. He welcomed us with open arms,” said Punj (right), who recently took over his family’s businesses after his father, a longtime business owner in Malden, passed away in 2013.
“What we are offering to the city is something unique,” said Punj. “People who want to go out and have a smoke, especially in the winter, they now have the benefit of coming to our lounge and smoking indoors,” he said.
The lounge, which holds a capacity of 320 people, is equipped with not only a hookah lounge, liquor bar and dance area, but Punj says he is in the process of adding a large humidor to showcase the cigars up for purchase and make the experience at Karma that much more grand.
“We are looking to attract high-end clients as well,” said Punj, who noted that, though, the bar invites people of all kinds, a strict dress code is enforced with all visitors being asked to come dressed to impress with button-up shirts and no hats.
“We will welcome all types of people, we attract all types of people, and we have something for everyone. We will welcome all our visitors with open arms,” said Punj.
If you’re planning to check the place out, make sure to bring your dancing shoes, too. Punj brings in the best local house and hip-hop DJs each night and promises to offer all genres of music.
The lounge is open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, from 4PM to 1AM.