Bigfish Vapor Lab

I love Big Fish Vapor. I’m from the Bay Area but travel to Arcata to visit friends and BFVL is a must-​stop in place for me. I love the setup in there, just a really friendly bar-​type environment. They have a great selection of juice and are pretty patient and accommodating letting you try lots of flavors.
Prices are on the high end and they don’t always have they juices in stock. It gets busy quickly and sometimes you wish they had more people ready to help you than they do. That being said, if you’re ready to drop $ 50 on juice its an amazing place to stop in, puff a few, and chat with patrons. The laid-​back atmosphere, awesome décor, excellent selection, and friendly staff make this a destination spot for my vaping needs.

Don’t shop here ever… unless you’re a flat brimmer with more dollars than cents… so rapie it’s unreal… the owner won’t give you his name (his real one)… not the lowest price on any item… Bombies Nana Cream At Humboldt Vape Co. EKA!!! WASTING SPACE ON THE PLAZA! TRINITY BEN GO HOME!

I visited this place on a business trip… I drove up from San Diego for the weekend, and realized that I didn’t stock up on e-​liquid beforehand… Good thing Big Fish was around, because I walked into this place and was greeted warmly by the staff, who not only BS’d with me about vaping, but also hooked me up with a 30ml of some really quality stuff that I absolutely LOVE. I felt like I was among friendly people right away, who were educated about the product, and got me exactly what I needed without tossing me around. It’s a big place, wide selection of juice and mods… definitely a lounge for someone who is interested in vaping. Be careful, you could spend alot of money there! Thanks to bigfish, my visit to Arcata was fulfilled with exactly what I was hoping for, and I didn’t have to settle for something low grade or unsatisfying!!!

Wow think place is expensive my husband wanted to stop in and we did their juice is $ 40 and at our favorite vape shop in Vancouver Washington we only pay $ 20 for a 30 ml bottle, we didn’t buy anything it was all way to expensive for us when I get our juices for $ 20 and a lot of our vaping needs we find for cheaper online.

They have improved their staff here tenfold over the past year.

Pretty good location. I was working in town and was looking forward to checking this place out but it let me down. First of all everything was waaay over priced. Traditionally any brick and mortar shop is gonna have alittle higher prices than the Internet but these prices were just ridiculous. Along those same lines the single employee n the shop knew absolutely nothing about the products and seemed more concerned with vaping himself than selling me anything or helping me out. But when I did finally find something I was interested in despite all of this he went into the back to bring one out for me, and another customer walked in. He then completely dropped what he was doing with me to help a kid who walked In asking if they sold vape pens… After sitting there for a few minutes and feeling like he could care less about whether I did it didn’t buy anything… I left. And he didn’t care. 2 stars cause it has potential I guess but some new employees are necessary

Im happy there is a place in Humboldt where I can pick up quality flavors, that is if I am desperate enough to pay a 100−150% mark up on e-​liquids compared to online prices. Other than that Big Fish is a great lounge with friendly and knowledgable staff. They have a good selection of hardware and flavors. It’s just very difficult for me to look past the outrageous prices on liquids.

I was visiting from out of town on work, decided to check out the vapor lab. Very nice layout, chill place to hang out, very informative and helpful team. Too bad the city is trying to mess with the way these guys want to help people to quit cigarettes. Thanks for chillin guys!

Great place to hang out and relax or to chat with friends! I love hanging out here. It is a great place to go on the plaza without having to deal with the bar scene. 18 year old and up so it is great for college students that can’t go out yet! They always have fun events on the weekends with live bands, comedy, DJ, etc. Check them out if you want to have fun and smoke some AMAZING vape! The employees are super helpful and nice.

Without regard to the other comment I read (which was opposite to my experience). I felt very welcome at the vapor lab and everyone was very open to talking about different e-​cigarettes on the market. They also have very reasonably priced hardware (even considering online pricing) and the staff was very friendly. All in all I have been to many vapebar/​shoppes like these and despite the lack of vast variety of devices this place has much better prices and service with better flavors of high-​quality liquid than most shops have currently, IMO.

What a great place for Vapers in Arcata! Set up as a members only social club, Big fish Vapor is the place to go in Northern California for all your vaping needs. They will sell you all the hardware you need as well as tasy E-​Juice. Members ($ 5 memberships) can enjoy the tasting bar (unlimited vaping) for $ 5 a day, and try any of the 63 flavors offered!
Staff is knowledgeable, helpful and always willing to help. What is a coil? Atomizer? Tank? They will provide you with tips, advice, and other know how concerning vapor products and needs. If you already have a set up for vaping, sit back and enjoy some of the incredible flavors offered at the tasting bar (also for sale) or use your own vapoizer
The 63 flavors offered are really good and they have something for everyone. Fruity, dessert, tobacco or menthol. My favorites are John Wayne, Madrina, Heist, Grizzly Peaks and OB. I come in often just to try new ones. I don’t often buy hardware there, but NEVER feel pressure from staff to buy something. I just come in, pay, vape and socialize.
I have only stopped in when it isn’t extremely busy. If you are unfamiliar with vaping, I would recommend coming in when it isn’t very busy for a fulfilling and educational experience concerning vaping. This way, the staff can answer any questions you may have concerning their products or business.
The best part for me is the social aspect. I can come in, use WiFi, do homework and chat w people while I puff on my fav flavors of E-​Juice. They feature local art and artists, have music and events. Owners are very active and present at most times.
If you vape you have to check this place out!

I came here for the first time tonight and now I know why I haven’t stepped in the doors sooner. First off, after my boyfriend and I got carded at the door, we had to stand in the doorway, getting hit every few minutes by the door by incoming people, to wait to pay. Finally some other guy who works there took care of us because we were paying cash and let us through so we didnt have to get beat up by the door anymore.
Second off, I asked to use the rest room but was not allowed to wait outside the restroom like a normal establishment but rather all the way by the bar, half way across the place, only to be ushered back to the bathroom by one of the vapor-​tenders. Useless if you ask me… why have a bathroom all the way in the back if you need to have a worker leave their station to watch people go in and out…
Third off, ordering a flavor was RIDICULOUS. No one told us how the menu worked before we ordered, therefore I was confused by the 10mL, 15mL, and 30^th options off the bat. I figured since I didn’t want to smoke that much I would order the 10mL but all the flavors I wanted to smoke were taken. After I complained about them not being in stock I was informed they only have one flavor of each pen, so if someone requests it and it’s taken, they have to wait for that flavor until its given back to the bar. How stupid is that?
Last of all, the guy serving me was so rude and unaccomadating that I left there just waiting to get home to write this review. He had the worst attitude and should not be working in the service industry. On the other hand, The girl working there was a sweetheart and super helpful. She was pleasant and explained the ordering process to us newcomers; she was just overall a breathe of fresh air to an otherwise sour experience. Some of the flavors of vapors we tried were also nice. We would have liked to stay longer and finish our pens, but of course due to the lack of that welcoming feeling, we left.
If you want to be in a stuffy, uneventful, poorly run establishment with mediocre and at times rude staff, this is the place to come!