Second hand smoke

[goodbyekitty123]

I am a mobile beauty therapist and have a client tomorrow who is a smoker. She is a regular of mine and when I first started going to her house she asked if I minded her smoking around me. I do not smoke but it's her house and I didn't want to be rude so I said it was ok.
Now I am pregnant and have to go to her house tomorrow where she will probably be smoking. I haven't told many people I am pregnant yet and didn't really want to tell her right now but I don't know how to tell her I'm not comfortable with her smoking around me now. What should I do??

...Open a window, remember-" The customer is Always Right". I can't tell you
The Number of times (I have asthma) that a client almost Choked me to death.
The money is good,don't be impolite or unprofessional.You are in Her Home.
If you Must Carp about it...stop serving Smokers.

Say you don't feel well and ask if she doesn't mind can she not smoke.

I agree with Midgetm, can you make up a chest infection or similar, and ask if she'd mind not smoking as a one-off?

I might do that midgetm and bugsy.
Japple I would never be unprofessional, the whole reason I have this problem is because it's her house and I said no problem to the smoking thing before. When a client asks "is it ok if I smoke" I always say "well I don't smoke but it's your home so go ahead". You kind of hope that as you have said you're a non smoker that the client would think not to smoke or do it outside.

At the end of the day I always remain professional as I am self employed (I guess it helps that the money is good) but at the moment I am more concerned about the health of my unborn child. If i have to I guess I'll just have to tell her I'm pregnant and ask her not to smoke around me. She's a nice lady so I know that wouldn't offend her, it's just that I didn't particularly want to tell TOO many people as it's so early on.

if this was me I would ask myself what am I more concerned with... the effects of passive smoking or (god forbid) having to tell her that something sad has happened with the pregnancy.

personally I'd tell her about the pregnancy and ask that she not smoke around you as the smell gives you horrendous nausea.

Go with the chest infection reason I think. No-one reasonable would smoke all over someone with a chest infection & it doesn't force you to give away your news early.

But would your client be offended that you've brought a chest infection into her house? I personally would not want someone with a chest infection (real or fake) standing over me cutting my hair. Is this client likely to tell people you know if she finds out? Or can you trust her enough to keep it quiet?

Well I am ashamed to say I chickened out and didn't say anything. She was already smoking when I turned up so I couldn't really find a way to ask her to stop. I opened the window at one point when her friend turned up and started smoking as well.
Now I am freaking out a little bit that being around it will have caused some harm. They're chain smokers too so I've been exposed to the smoke for around an hour. Eugh! I could even smell it in my clothes- I went home and changed straight away.
Well on the plus side I have a couple of weeks where I'm not taking any clients now as I am getting married next week so by the time I go to that client's house again I will be telling everyone that I am pregnant anyway.

milkyjo that's part of the reason I didn't say anything as I'd feel a bit uncomfortable if someone said they were ill when they'd come round to do treatments for me. Also just because I'm a big chicken and didn't say anything!

I can't imagine an hour's worth of passive smoke would be enough to cause any real damage - some women smoke through their pregnancies, and still have healthy babies (although they are taking a much bigger risk, obviously).

I walk to work every day along a busy road, breathing in traffic fumes, which is probably about the same. But the alternative would be to drive and miss out on my only source of exercise. I figure that you can't hide away in a sealed room for nine months, so if you can't avoid it then try not to worry about it.

For what it's worth, I think passive smoking is unpleasant for non-smokers but not actually that dangerous in short bursts.