I knew two things about e-cigarettes before today: (1) that the kid perched on the Washington Square Park fountain wearing a Class of 2017 shirt smoking one looked stupid and (2) that they emit this eerie blue light and that some critics, according to a vague Google search, call them “dick-shaped cyborgs.”

Nevertheless, I decided to check out The Henley Vaporium, a coffee-juice-vapor lounge in Soho that officially opens Friday and will be the first location in New York that caters to electronic cigarette users. The shop, although still unfurnished, has this cool, earthy vibe to it and would definitely be the the type of place I would visit with friends if I had friends. I digress.

E-cigarettes are an electronic inhaler-sort-of device that have only been around in the U.S. since 2008, but have become increasingly popular with people who are trying to quit smoking. Although they lack the tar and carcinogens that make cigarettes so dangerous, they still have nicotine and flavoring, contents that keep scientists divided over their benefits and drawbacks.

I walked in and neared the bar counter, where Michael Carbone, an employee, was helping a woman with an order. Behind him, on a chalkboard, were a bunch of flavors one can smoke from either an e-cigarette or from one of the vaporizers the store provides. After inspecting my options, which included “Banana Nut Bread” and something called “Sinthol,” I decided I would try “Swagger” because it made me giggle and very few things do that.

After sampling “Swagger,” a mixture of vanilla, caramel, and tobacco flavors, I was approached by Peter Henley, a former 33-year cigarette smoker who quit after being introduced to e-cigarettes six years ago. He talked about his vision and how he wanted to create an environment outside the scope of a retail store.

“It’s very different from most places that sell this product. It’s part retail, part social hub,” Henley said.

The Vaporium also has the largest backyard in the Soho area and Henley mentioned screening films, hosting yoga classes and also showing Ted Talks-like videos to his customers.

“I also want to have an educational part to this experience,” he said.

It sounded nice to me. Nice, but expensive.

But the prices turned out to be pretty decent. Carbone brought out a $12 cartridge and explained that the contents were equivalent to four packs of Newport cigarettes. I don’t smoke, but I figured this price was fair from the way the nosy woman next to me, said “wow.”

E-cigarettes’ days as an affordable alternative might be limited, though. As their popularity rises among college students, e-cigs have fallen increasingly under the disapproving eye of lawmakers who want to see them regulated and treated like tobacco products. Mayor Bloomberg, in particular has quietly pushed legislation that would classify e-cigs as cigarettes. This move would open e-cigs to inflated tax rates, and would ban people from smoking e-cigs in bars — spelling death for places like The Henley Vaporium.

I stayed talking to Carbone for a little bit longer and we discussed step kits, the process of gradually removing nicotine from your body. The Henley Vaporium provides products with various concentrations of nicotine and is adamant on helping people wean themselves off the drug.

So I left The Henley Vaporium feeling good, albeit a little light headed — thank you “Swagger” — because I have a plan for Friday night. I’m going to Henley’s.

[Photos by Eric Eidelstein]