05/29/2026
You Donât Want to Open a Cigar Lounge. You Want to Hang Out in One.
Every cigar smoker eventually has the same thoughtâŠusually around 10:47 PM. Second single malt, third cigar.
âYou know what? I should open a cigar lounge.â
I get it. Youâre sitting there in a comfortable chair, musicâs right, everybodyâs relaxed, ci**rs are burning, conversations are flowing. It feels like the easiest business in the world.
Well, letâs just rein in that energy, dâArtagnan*.
*Yes, I made a The Three Musketeers reference. Itâs my party, I will do what I want.
Letâs cover a few things behind-the-scenes that you may not have considered.
First problem, nobody leavesâŠNobody.
A guy walks in at 1 PM saying, âJust stopping by for one quick cigar.â
Now itâs dark outside, heâs ordered wings from Uber Eats, and heâs halfway through explaining why the 1987 Dolphins were underrated (they werenât).
In some casesâŠok, mostâŠyouâre opening an adult daycare center with humidity control. It is a LOT of babysitting.
Then there are the chairs.
Nobody treats cigar lounge furniture with respect. I donât know why.
A brand new leather chair enters a lounge looking like a Bentley interior. Six months later it looks like it survived a bar fight behind a Waffle House.
And every lounge has that one guy who believes he âownsâ a specific chair despite contributing absolutely nothing toward purchasing it.
If you sit there by mistakeâŠwellâŠgo read about Alpha Dogs.
Then comes ventilation.
The second you open a cigar lounge, every human being becomes an HVAC consultant. I swear cigar smokers can detect airflow problems the way sharks detect blood.
âYou really shouldâve gone with negative pressure.â
âSmoke hangs in that back corner.â
âYou need another return vent.â
I donât know what any of that means but that dude that canât find his phone on the bar stool seems to know everything.
I can tell you one thingâŠa properly vented lounge will cost you an effing fortune. ReallyâŠlook it up before you make any movesâŠthat alone may scare you off.
And the inventory sounds fun until it isnât.
You would think this is the easiest part. HaâŠthat is cute.
Everybody thinks you just bring in whatever is hot, throw it on the shelf, and sit by the register.
Not even close.
If you are doing it right, it means staring at spreadsheets, wondering how you somehow own 900 ci**rs nobody asked for, while your bestseller disappeared in 36 minutes.
The same guys screaming: âYou NEED to carry this brand!â will somehow never buy it.
Ever.
Then thereâs the music battle.
I am not a big fan of loud music in a loungeâŠbut some people love it. But people will not AGREE on what music.
One guy wants jazz.
One guy wants outlaw country.
One guy wants yacht rock.
And thereâs always some psychopath that wants EDMâŠwhatever the hell that is.
The Bluetooth speaker guy from every lounge eventually shows up, too. Every time.
If you donât have a fight over music, it will be television. Golf, Football, Soccer, Golden Girls. Who knows what everyone will agree on.
And despite all of this, the idea of opening a cigar lounge still amazes me.
Because the truth is, cigar lounges arenât really businesses in the normal sense. Theyâre weird little clubhouses. Spend four to five hours solving the worldâs problems only to have them all messed up when you return the next day.
Honestly, thatâs probably why so many cigar smokers think they should open one. For one good night at a lounge, it genuinely feels like the best business idea on earth.
Until that dude with the Bluetooth speaker shows up anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions About Opening a Cigar Lounge
Is owning a cigar lounge profitable?
Some are very profitable. Many are not.
Most cigar smokers see the busy Friday night crowd and assume the owner is printing money. What they donât see are rent, payroll, insurance, ventilation costs, inventory, utilities, taxes, and the fact that Steve has been sitting in the same chair for six hours, nursing a single coffee.
How much does it cost to open a cigar lounge?
The answer ranges from âmore than you thinkâ to âsignificantly more than that.â
The biggest surprise for many prospective owners is ventilation. A proper commercial smoke filtration and HVAC system can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the size of the space.
Why do cigar smokers want to open cigar lounges?
Because hanging out in a great cigar lounge is fun. Running one is work. Most cigar smokers are in love with the customer experience, not necessarily the business model behind it.
What is the hardest part of owning a cigar lounge?
Keeping customers happy without losing your sanity. One customer wants jazz. Another wants football. A third wants complete silence. Somehow all three arrive at the exact same time.
Do cigar lounges make money on ci**rs alone?
Usually not. Many lounges rely on memberships, events, food, beverages, accessories, and other revenue streams to support the business. Selling ci**rs is important, but it is often only part of the equation.
Why do cigar lounges need expensive ventilation systems?
Because nobody wants to leave smelling like they spent three days inside a campfire. Good ventilation keeps customers comfortable, protects employees, and helps create an environment where people can enjoy ci**rs for hours.
What mistakes do new cigar lounge owners make?
Many underestimate startup costs, overestimate demand, and assume inventory management will somehow take care of itself. It will not.
The ci**rs you thought would fly off the shelves will sit there for months. The ones you didnât order enough of will disappear immediately.
Should I open a cigar lounge?
If your primary motivation is that you enjoy spending time in cigar lounges, probably not. If you enjoy managing inventory, handling customer service, maintaining facilities, balancing budgets, solving problems, and occasionally getting to smoke a cigar, then maybe. Those are two very different hobbies.
~ Fred Rewey
www.cigarpress.com
