Is it okay for masseurs to be smokers?

Massage therapy is an occupation where the massage therapist is up close and touching the patient/client. This is something that therapists need to keep in mind at all times. Nicotine and cigarette smoke are unmistakably strong (to some offensive) odors. These odors are not easily masked. No perfume, cologne, or mouthwash seems to be very effective at removing this odor.

An important part of a good massage experience is the physical atmosphere of the room. That means a quiet, clean room, with a nice calming scent, or no scent at all. A Therapist who smokes can create this environment but would have to be a very light smoker. Even this is risky, because some people are very sensitive to the smell of smoke and can detect even a faint odor of tobacco.

We also have to consider some of the unpleasant byproducts of this habit. One of the main ones is the “Smoker’s Cough”. I attended a medical massage therapy course taught by a licensed massage therapist who was obviously a chain smoker. How did I know? He paused frequently, throughout his lecture and demonstrations, to cough. He knew his subject quite well. He was a good teacher and a very experienced massage therapist.

But I couldn’t help but wonder what his patients/clients experienced when they came to him for therapy. Imagine lying on a massage table trying to relax and having to deal with not only that strong smell of cigarette smoke, but also an unsettling cough throughout the massage. In massage therapy school we were not allowed to discriminate against students who smoked while giving each other practice massages.

Having a smoking therapist give you a facial massage often had a direct opposite effect. It’s hard to relax and breathe easy when the nose is assaulted by the smell of nicotine from Therapist’s fingers. I empathize with Therapists who smoke. How difficult it is to quit smoking is well documented. But it is also undeniably obvious that smoking is a health hazard for both the massage therapist and the patient/client.

The other problem here is that one of the main benefits of massage therapy is to help remove toxins from the body. Secondhand smoke from a therapist’s clothing, hands, hair, or breath poisons the air. Is it okay for massage therapists to be smokers? Smoking tobacco is not an illegal activity.

But the anticipated benefits of massage therapy and the harmful effects of tobacco smoke should make a smoker who is, or is considering becoming a massage therapist; give up one activity or another.

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