Mistersmoke visits the factory of hookahs Steamulation

The interview

MisterSmoke Hello, can you introduce yourself in a few words?

Alex : Hi, I'm Alex, I'm 25 years old and I'm the founder of the STEAMULATION brand. We are currently located near Frankfurt, in our Showroom!

MisterSmoke If you had to describe your brand in 3 points, what would they be?

Alex : I will say that the essential point of Steamulation is innovation. We're always trying to bring something new to the design or technology of our hookahs. Our hookahs is unlike any other. Next comes quality and customer satisfaction. We try to be as close as possible to our customers, to know their feelings and their point of view. Their satisfaction is, in our eyes, more important than ours.

MisterSmoke How did the Steamulation story begin?

Alex : When I was younger, I owned a classic Hookah with a screw-on fastening system that quickly began to squeak and jam. That was the starting point. I quickly discussed with my family about wanting to create my own brand, wanting to do something different from others, and then I came up with the idea of the "Steam Click" system. The SteamClick is the heart of the brand as it is present in every Steamulation brand chichas.
After high school I entered university in economics and e-commerce, but I quickly dropped out, preferring to work on my own brand.

MisterSmoke Can you introduce us to the Steamulation product line?

Alex : We have a very structured range, according to sizes. The range consists of the Prime, the Classic, the Superior and finally the Exclusive.
The Prime has 2 outlets and an adjustable diffuser. This is our smallest model with 45 cm high.
Then we have the " Classic Platinium " which has 4 outlets. Larger than the "Prime", the "Classic" also offers a larger diffuser.
The "Superior" does not have the same materials. Contrary to the two previous models in stainless steel, the Steamulation Superior is made of aeronautical aluminium combined with carbon. Finally, we have the "Exclusive" range made of 24K Gold, Swarovski crystals, lighting systems etc... These are our most prestigious models, used in particular in some 5 star hotels in Dubai.

Mistersmoke What's your favourite model?

Alex : At the moment, my favorite model is the Steamulation PRIME, because it is very easy to handle. I also like the Classic very much. But as I see them every day, it varies a lot! Some days I prefer the Superior... I like them all! But I think the Prime is the easiest to handle.

MisterSmoke : A new model will soon see the light of day: The Steamulation PRO. Can you tell us a little more about it?

Alex : On a commencé il y 2 ans avec Steamulation et l’innovation du système SteamClick 360 et je pense que a changé beaucoup de choses dans le monde de la chicha. C’était quelque chose de nouveau que personne n’avait eu l’idée de faire avant. Nous avions maintenant l’envie d’aller plus loin et de proposer quelque chose de meilleur encore ! La chicha Steamulation Pro va changer pas mal de choses. Nous espérons qu’elle rencontrera le même succès qu’avec la sortie de notre premier modèle.
L’idée de la Steamulation PRO c’est de pouvoir offrir au client de nombreux ajustements. Certains clients préfèrent par exemple un tirage plus moderne, d’autres plus traditionnel. Nous avons donc essayé de répondre à tous les besoins des consommateurs et leur laisser la possibilité d’effectuer leurs propres réglages et personnaliser leur session comme ils le souhaitent. Voilà l’idée principale de cette chicha. Je ne veux pas en dire trop et révéler tout ses secrets pour le moment. Les gens verront d’eux-mêmes.

MisterSmoke : How are hookahs Steamulation manufactured?

Alex At the beginning of any product, not only hookahs, any Steamulation product starts from a problem that the user encounters. We try to solve this problem, we develop, then when we are ready with 3D projects, we make a prototype. We test it to see what can be improved. We make another prototype and we do it again and again until we are completely satisfied with the result. We then start a series production, and at the end of this production we carry out a final quality control. Finally, if everything is perfect, we start marketing.

MisterSmoke : I saw that you won an award at the Frankfurt trade fair?

Alex : Yes! We weren't talking about Superior at that time. The Hookah was called " Steamulation GOLD ". It was our first product with the Black Matt and the Black Polished. After 3 months of marketing we went to Frankfurt which is the biggest Hookah show in the world and we won the prize for the best Hookah. It was a very good starting point for us. We didn't participate in the competition in 2017 but we won this award again in 2018 at the Seville fair in Spain. This time it was different because it was the public who voted, unlike the Frankfurt show where it was a jury. The reward is even more beautiful when it comes directly from the consumer!

MisterSmoke : Is after-sales service important to you?

Alex Yes of course, after-sales service is very important to us. It's important because if the customer has a problem (and I think we've demonstrated this with Mistersmoke in France), he can contact us directly. We take care of the problem directly.

MisterSmoke : What are the future plans for Steamulation?

Alex : We are going to work a lot on the Steamulation Pro and we are also going to bring some new accessories like this Starter from Hookah which is used to start your Hookah. This is just an example. We plan to bring a lot of new accessories to make the sessions simpler, more enjoyable. But behind these ideas, the most important thing for us is innovation. No need to copy an existing item, we will bring our own ideas, our own products.

MisterSmoke Innovation...
Alex Exactly!