What is wrong with defending smokers? I don't smoke anymore but I don't see it as a moral failing or that smokers are a group it is okay to pile disdain upon. It is fine to want to avoid it smoke or the smell -but smokers are not subhuman. They aren't therapists for example.

I can sometimes smell cigarettes on people and sometimes I cannot. Sometimes I dislike it and sometimes it is comforting because it can remind me of my mother. I have had appointments where I could still smell the cologne or perfume or aftershave of the previous client - usually I don't like it but it is not that huge of a deal for me.

I think trying a different time slot is a good plan. My guess is it is another client and not that the therapist suddenly started.