Anyone know of any non-smoking bars/cafes in
Madrid? This doesn�t seem to have been asked
before. TIA...

:jeje: :jeje: :jeje:

Non-smoking bars in Spain!!!

:jeje: :jeje: :jeje:

Sorry for the laughs, just could not resist.

Saludos,
jer...

Hmmm...I think the Starbucks that opened last year kind of across from the Prado is non-smoking...If it is still in business...I had a bet goign with a friend that it would not last preceisely because it was non-smoking, and im not sure people will be so into that. As for non-smoking bars....Good luck!

The USA propaganda machine did too good of a job back in the day brainwashing all of the world that smoking was a cool thing and now years later practically everyone here in Spain smokes.
American culture and the "American Dream" has always been an influence here.
There used to be only one or two TV station in existance for all of Spain and everyone in the whole country would watch the same thing at the same time.
Everyone grew up with the opportunity to see all of the old classic American movies with all of the stars smoking cigarettes and acting cool. This mixed with the typical Spanish culture of easily succuming to peer pressure and having a group mentality where everyone wants to fit in and be accepted make a deadly combination, which "Big Tobacco", the tobacco industry capitalized on with even more questionable marketing techniques...
Anyway, the end result is that almost everyone in Spain smokes and with less strict regulation than in the states, there is more addictive additives in the cigarettes in Spain which make it even harder for you to quit once you have started.
I do not smoke. I just made a list of the pros and cons of smoking one day and even though I had countless cons, I could not come up with not even one pro, so I never did it. But that is just the way I think.
Rocco.

jer!!
You beat me to it!! I so wanted to post those graemlins (but I will anyway!!) :jeje: :jeje: :jeje:

I repeat Jer's question..."non smoking bars in Spain?" Actually, it seems that there are far fewer smoky places than what I remember from fewer trips. Maybe it's just my imagination, but my parents mentioned that also, there is a lot less smoke than when they came last in '85.

The impact of Madison Avenue (for non-Americans, this is the traditional headquarters of the advertising industry in the US) on smoking has been tremendous.

A fair number of my friends smoke...almost all my Spanish friends and many in the US also. The only time I give them any grief is if they think smoking Marlboros makes them rugged individualists, because it was the result of a successful ad campaign, nothing more. (The "Cowboy" ads came after the cigarette was initially unsuccessfully marketed as a "women's cigarette"...long before Virginia Slims)

Hey, I have never heard of a non-smoking bar in Madrid, but a few of the vegetarian restaurants (for ex. Ecocentro) are non-smoking. Starbucks near the Prado has a large non-smoking section, but is not totally non-smoking.

I don't smoke either, never have, but I don't mind people who do. In fact, smoking is such a way of life here that if I tried to actively avoid it I would hardly any spanish friends and go hardly anywhere.

A must here, for non-smokers and smokers alike, is an anti-tabacco spray that you spray onto your clothes after a night out. I can't stand the smoke smell in my coat or sweaters, so I buy this anti-tobacco textile spray from Lidl and as soon as I get home, douse my clothes. (In the US, this product is called Febrese.) Another good trick is to hang them out on your line as soon as you get in and let them air out.

As for your lungs...well, there is not a spray I know for that. Wash your face when you get in and if you know what a Neti Pot is, I have a freind that swears by it. Also, sit near the door if it helps.

Whatever you do, don't not go out because of smoke...Madrid is too interesting and the people too fascinating despite their vices.

Smokeless if not smokefree, Candela

VIPS have non smoking, or no fumador sections too, as does TGIFridays.

Hey Queensite, I KNOW you are not recommending VIPS & TGIFridays (BLECHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!) so I will allow you to remain a member of the board

Saludos,
jer...

Hey, if anybody finds a non-smoking bar please announce it! I'd love to become a regular! After I quit I'm a lot more intolerant of the stuff. They do have Febreeze here (I think that's the way they spell it), I bought it at my local droguer�a. And speaking of smoking sections, have you all heard that one: "isn't a smoking section in a restaurant the same as a peeing section in a pool?"
salu2

All the Starbucks in Madrid are supposed to be non-smoking. Also V%p% (since I am not allowed to say that name here) has non-smoking sections, but no one ever follows the rules there. It's like the Metro, you are not supposed to somke in the Merto, but people do it all the time. So, even if there was a non-smoking bar, Ojala!, people would still smoke in it!
Hey Candela, what is Neti Pot and where can I get some?

Hey lena...

quote:

"isn't a smoking section in a restaurant the same as a peeing section in a pool?"

... good one :jeje: :jeje: :jeje:

OH MY GOD!!! somebody wrote the "S" word, blechooooooooooo

Don't get me started, even the most mediocre cup of coffee at an average cafe in Spain is 1,000,000,000 better than a coffee from the "S" word.

I asked a few American clients who wanted directions to one of the "S" words in Madrid why they liked it so much and they said it was because you can take it out with you and is great for being on the run

Saludos,
jer...

"being on the run..." welcome to America...

�S� coffee has to be the worst coffee on the planet! The only reason why i go is for the Chai Latte�s, which they still screw up, and that they are non'smoking and I can loiter there for hours without having to buy food! But, i�d rather sit in a smokey bar than drink �S�coffee!

hey all, happy new year!!!

with the new anti-tabacco law, i have started a new thread where people can post restaurants and bars that are no-smoking, smoking or mixed.

check it out HERE.

saludos,
jer...