We left within ten minutes of arriving at Bubbleology Karaoke and Cafe.
Ten minutes later, we came back. Truth be told, we were intimidated. When we entered, all were speaking Cantonese so we hadn’t tried talking to anyone about the place. Walking away interview-less, we decided to go back, suck it up, and try again. This time, we found that the people there weren’t intimidating at all.
Upon arriving the second time, we saw a young international student wearing a baggy hoodie, baseball cap, and basketball shorts standing behind the ordering window. The walls were painted a bright lemon yellow and were decorated with eye-catching pop art. In front of the ordering window were laptops with gaming consoles. The only other customers were two international students watching a sports match on a TV. We gathered up our courage and asked the student in the hoodie for an interview. We later found out that this casually dressed man taking orders was the owner.
He told us that the concept for his cafe came from a long standing Japanese social tradition: the karaoke bar. However, there is a surprising difference between the classic Asian karaoke bar and its relative, the North American karaoke bar. In Asia, large groups of students will rent out furnished rooms in the karaoke hall complete with plasma TVs, microphones, accompanying percussion instruments, and a karaoke machine. In private rooms they are able to sing in a more intimate setting and limit their embarrassment (in other words, avoid looking like complete tone deaf idiots in front of the random guy at the bar, or that awkward group of fellow students who you met, like, one time).The owner, being a marketing major at the University of Iowa, saw a budding business chance, remarking, “I heard a lot of people just wanted to sing so I decided to open this place.” He combined this idea with bubble tea, a popular Asian drink. The menu eventually expanded to include other traditional Asian juices and teas as well.
About 70% of the customers are Chinese, 20% are international students who are from Asia, and the other 10% are American students. Over time, more and more Americans have been coming as they hear about this place. The most popular drinks on the menu vary based on the demographic of the customer – female international students from Asia like to order the mango-tapioca drinks and American customers tend to order the original milk tea with tapioca or taro. We also spoke to the manager who laughed and mentioned that “the first time I tried bubble tea, I had a Mango iced tea with tapioca…and did not like it at all.”
The drinks are not the only unique characteristic of the place. The manager told us, “Technically we close at 11:30 pm, but when people come in and are having a good time we don’t like to kick them out. On weekends customers sometimes stay till 6 in the morning.” The students stay up late enjoying their time in various character-themed rooms such as the One Piece, Hello Kitty, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Super Mario rooms. Bubbleology also boasts larger-an-average spaces such as the 25-seater room. Students can also choose from a multitude of languages to sing in, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and English.
For international students, the transition into American culture can be tough, especially when seeking forms of entertainment. Ironically, as an American, it can also be extremely difficult to fit into a scene targeting international students. So, whether you are international or native, reach out. It becomes an experience where you end up discovering a place like Bubbleology Karaoke and Cafe, where anyone can be part of a shared love for karaoke and hanging out with friends on a Saturday night.
Primetime Iowa City Guide 
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