Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Question on Tipping

As part of our benefits, we get an x amount of health spending dollars for things such as chiropractors and message therapy.  It's not a flex account so we don't get money back if we don't use it.  I'm going to use it on message therapy.

 

I had my first session after work yesterday.  It felt great.  You know with credit/debit card terminals at restaurants, there is the option to enter a tip amount.  The one at the message clinic had that option.  So here is the question.

 

Is tipping message therapist customary? If so how much should I tip.

4 comments:

Alison said...

Yes, tipping massage therapists is pretty standard as with most beauty services (hair salons, nail salons, spa, etc). Tipping for massage therapists is usually around 15%, 20% if they were extra attentive. Or if you got a really good deal, I would go with a $15 tip/hour.

Hope you enjoyed your massage!

Little Miss Moneybags said...

I understand that this really depends--at the spas where I get massages, tipping is customary and expected, and I tip 20% (usually in cash, in envelopes provided at the desk). I have heard that tipping is not customary at places of a more medical persuasion, which is what it sounds like you're dealing with.

You can always ask at the desk whether tipping is expected. 15-20% (like in a restaurant) is standard.

Ginger said...

First thing you need to do is define the type of massage. If it was a therapeutic massage performed by a registered massage therapist and covered by your insurance, then no, you don't need to tip. In Canada (at least) they are a regulated industry.

However, if you went to a spa for a nice, relaxing massage with aromatherapy, hot stone, thai ball, etc. then you should probably tip since it is a spa service and not a medical service.

However if you feel like your therapeutic masseuse did a great job and you want to tip, by all means tip them!

Everyone appreciates being told they did a good job, whether by words or money!

Money Minder said...

I consider a massage therapist to be a professional, like a doctor, dentist, real estate agent etc. Therefore I don't tip them. But I have only used massage therapists who work in a practice with other professionals (like chiropractors, physiotherapists etc.) maybe if you are getting massaged as a service at a spa a tip would be appropriate.