Parlour from the French word parloir, from parler ("to speak"), denotes an "audience chamber". In parts of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, parlours are common names for certain types of food service houses, restaurants (i.e. "ice cream parlour" and "pizza parlor") or special service areas, such as tattoo parlors. Thus, the word appears to be used as a term denoting "a social space"; prefixes such as "pizza", "tattoo", "billiard", or "betting" describe the setting's other most notable aspect beyond socializing.