Opium den

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This article is about the establishment where opium is consumed. For the gothic rock band, see Opium Den (band).

Depiction of opium smokers in an "opium den" in the East End of London, 1874.

An opium den is an establishment where opium is sold and consumed. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the nineteenth century. In the west they were frequented by and associated with the Chinese. Patrons were seen reclining and smoking opium out of special pipes.

[edit] Substantial references in fiction

In the Sherlock Holmes story "The Man with the Twisted Lip," Watson goes to an opium den in the East End to find Isa Whitney.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian visits the Opium Dens of London when indulging in the pleasures of life whether moral or immoral, subject to the influencial character Lord Henry and his hedonistic outlook on life.
In the Tintin story The Blue Lotus, the main character Tintin is seen infiltrating opium dens.
In the 1984 film Once Upon a Time in America, the character of Noodles (played by Robert De Niro) frequents an opium den. There is a theory that the entire film is an "opium dream".