I make chewing gum available in my massage room as a treat for my guests, but also as a handy way to freshen up one’s breath. I have a few clients who unfortunately have bad breath, and I wish they would chew gum to cover it up. However, I would never mention this to them as I feel there is too great a risk that they would feel offended and stop coming. So, I just put up with it. And they are really nice people and I wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings. It’s just part of life.
I myself put in a fresh piece of gum before every massage. This is because I am a mouth breather and have been all my life. When I was a kid, I breathed through my mouth because I had asthma and bad allergies that kept my nose stopped up. As an adult, I have tried to become a nose breather with little success. It doesn’t feel comfortable to me; I suspect my nasal passages are underdeveloped. As a result of the mouth breathing, I am susceptible to having bad breath. Thankfully, chewing gum seems to take care of the issue. I use sugar free gum which has several advantages, most importantly the prevention of cavities. I usually use Doublemint sugar free gum.
I used to keep candy in my massage room instead of gum but had to get rid of it as I kept raiding the stash for myself. 😛
