Introduction:
Shisha smoking has emerged as a popular trend in Malaysia, especially around the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The aim of this study was to determine the environment and services provided, in shisha centers around the satellite township of Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was an observational study complying with the STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology) consensus guidelines for reporting observational studies.

Methods:
Trained observers visited 41 restaurants providing shisha smoking services in and around Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Observations on the location of the shisha center, operating time of shisha center, number of shisha instruments, rental price, seating capacity, ventilation facilities, display of license for shisha center, and distance from educational institutions (<1km vs. >1km) was recorded.

Results:
Total seating capacity at shisha centers ranged from 20 to 132 with 6-68 shisha instruments. Shisha centers opened their centers from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM on weekdays. Rental charges ranged from USD 1.00/- to USD 7.00/- with an average of USD 2.8/-. Shisha centers nearer to educational institutions had on average a higher number of units (60 vs 30, p<0.001), however a smaller number of seats (30 vs 55, 0<0.001).

Conclusions:
A large number of shisha centers are present in the satellite township near Kuala Lumpur. The shisha centers were located more within 1000 meters of educational institutions and universities, targeting students. The existing restaurants are including shisha in their menu list, not to be left behind by their competitors.