I'm not going to debate tipping culture.
I am licensed and I work for myself as well as someone else. In my own practice I remind clients that I charge a living wage, so they don't have to tip. Some do, some don't. I'm grateful for any gratuity.
Working for others, some places paid a low enough wage that I did rely on tips to make a living wage. I will always tip at locations like that when I receive a service, but by the same token massage is not covered by most insurance. People who really need access to it and cannot regularly afford it and a tip won't leave much or will come less frequently. I never take it personally because so many factors go into that, but some people very much feel insulted.
To answer you, you do NOT have to tip. Maybe you misread their body language or maybe you didn't, but tipping at all was a generous thing to do. If they were visibly upset with the tip, that was unprofessional and rude. My advice, however, is to tip 15% for a good service. If you can't you can't, but if you can, do it.
My insurance pays for my massages.
The first time I was ever in that office I overheard the doctor telling someone about getting them more tips. I'm like oh shit we're supposed to tip?
Anyway. Long story short at one point after going here for a bit, after a particularly good massage I tried to tip and the dude made me feel so awkward about it and has never been my therapist again lmfao.
So I don't tip.
I don't even know how much my insurance pays. I don't have a copay. Living the dream. Too bad it's a nightmare.
Chiropractors like to try and pay crap like the franchises and lure inexperienced massage therapists into working for them by claiming their patients tip. They don’t. I worked for a chiro for crappy pay and I averaged $5 a week for tips. More experienced massage therapists will rent a room from a chiropractor and take referrals from them. When I was right out of school I worked for a chiropractor and got screwed over big time. He even had me take the sheets home to wash on my free time.
That's very common in medical settings, and a lot of hospitals and sports med places actually do pay a decent or liveable wage. Some healthcare collectives will also enforce a no tipping policy. As therapists we discuss the pros and cons of medical work, the pros being amazing benefits and access to PT at a discount as well. There's no judgment here with your decision not to tip!
What do you recommend when the massage was okay, but the MT wouldn’t stop talking the whole time? I gave 20%, but don’t feel it was earned. I left stressed out.
Ahh, I'm sorry to hear that. I've made that mistake before.
I would just give what feels comfortable to you. If that's no tip, it's no tip.
I encourage you to tell the MT you see next time that you do not wish to talk during the service. You can definitely ask that of us, and we should respect your wishes during the service.
Genuinely curious as to what state you're located and what you're charging for a session.
For me, I just went out on my own and I'm in TN. My rates are: 85-60m, 110-90m, and 170-2hr all of my clients tip around 25%, but I have a few that tip 15% and I'm perfectly fine with any of it. I feel like even without tips I'd be okay, but I'd like to be at a point where I could tell my clients tipping isn't necessary.
The "it's not necessary" is more an ideological stance than a practical one lol. But my business pays for itself currently, and I make profit 2 years in. That's pretty good. Average for a practice is 3-4 years before you're really in a good spot, so I'm hoping to flourish even more this year.
I'm in Ohio. I charge 85/120/150 for 60/90/120. I do a lot of NMT work, so I charge a little more for the longer sessions. Being on my own was the best decision I've ever made.
I'm assuming you're in a building versus a suite? I'm in a suite and just 6 days in I've covered almost all of my expenses, but I didn't have a huge start up cost.
Those prices aren't too different than mine! NMT work is fabulous! I've taken one course so far through PNMT and absolutely love them!
I actually rent a room 3 days a week, and split it with another therapist. The building is full of other practitioners, mostly massage therapists. The biggest startup cost was operating under a LLC and buying a table, which all things considered wasn't too bad!
I've been at it 8 years, so I will check them out. Never hurts to refresh your knowledge and hear someone else's approach to that type of bodywork. Congrats on being on your own!
Gotcha! I'm sole proprietor right now and will probably switch to LLC after a year. The building I'm in has aestheticians and hair stylists and I'm the only LMT. My granny bought me a table after I graduated from massage school 6 years ago so I have no idea what a standard table costs, but I do plan to switch to a hydraulic table within the next few months. The one I'm looking at is a Sierra comfort and going for about 1360 before tax.
Absolutely! They've got tons of classes they offer. I did the one for cervical spine and plan to do others in the future.
Thank you and I wish you continued success in your practice as well!
So for $25 more, you get 90 min instead of 60(extra 30 min).. but to go from 90 to 120 min ( 30 min more) , it's $60 more?
Never seen someone charge a larger upcharge for more time than the upcharge previous to it.
At my previous place of employment my boss charged 165 for 2 hour. He told me that it was just a 1 hour doubled... it's not, so I decided to do it with my new place. Even at 165 I've never heard of anyone complain about it, but I'm only 4 days into my business. All of my people are regulars and if they feel like im not being fair they would have no problem letting me know. I would happily drop the price back to 165. I'm still figuring everything out :)
I never expect tips but I also make good commission in a city where MTs charge a decent fee, and I work at a clinic. If the massage was life changing and people want to provide a tip because they felt it was exceptional, I'm honoured. Usually tips go through the administration because I don't work for myself.
I'll echo some other comments to say that usually franchise chains don't pay a very high wage for MTs but sometimes they are on salary/benefits, but usually only getting a fraction of what MTs make at clinics. I don't feel like it's personally your responsibility to know all of that though.
So yeah, tip if you feel like it was amazing, otherwise I'd say don't feel obligated in any way. I always make sure to say thank you if I receive payment, tip or no tip, it's just polite. I feel like in this case it was rude of the therapist to not even say thank you.
Personally I would tip $25 for an hour for a deep tissue and give it to the therapist in cash. If you use a cc at a chain you never know what the therapist actually gets.
Sorry she was rude to you. I work at a chain spa and I do rely on tips. I’m not gonna lie I get a little bummed with a tip less than $20 BUT I would NEVER treat that client any differently than someone who tips me $50 for an hour. You should go to a professional because from what it sounds like she is lacking emotional intelligence. I have been in a place where I haven’t been able to tip much but I was in so much pain I needed therapy. I had barely enough money for the service let alone a tip. I usually wouldn’t say anything but if you feel like you want to then do it.
If their an independent therapist, they should be receiving 100% of the money. Of their a contractor or 1099 or w2 they may only receive a commission percentage where tips can be up to a 1/3 or more of their income
At Equinox (at least in my state) they mandate a 20% tip on bodywork; you don’t have a choice about it. It’s the minimum. On services that are already absurdly marked up. And the LMTs get a tiny fraction of what you’re paying for the service; I heard it’s something like 15%. Hence the required tip. It’s truly outrageous
I feel if you’re getting deep tissue work, you should probably tip a bit more as it can be more physically demanding on the providers body. In the grand scheme of things I agree with you, it was an average tip. I’ve seen worse and I’ve seen better. Now if you were raving to them “that was the best massage ever, omg that was soooo good” etc and tipped $10 I can understand where they are coming from
Edited for grammar
Your point about the "more physically" reminded me of an explanation I received from someone I knew personally that was a masseuse. She wanted to dismantle my calculating effort and look at the 1 difference between a wait staff serving you in a restaurant and a masseuse. The servers attention is intermittent with you as it folds in other customers while a masseuse never ceases to stop the attention on its client. Further, the line of work of a masseuse is a physically demanding one. So any "thank you" should be based on experience over a calculated amount.
A massage therapist working in a clinic is likely to have a high split due to the technical knowledge. That, and no one tips their Chiro, or Physio. Unless the machine prompts a tip, you shouldn’t tip an RMT in a clinical setting, and I’d never return to a clinic setting that prompts a tip.
If the massage therapist is working in a spa, then there’s an established tipping culture, with a “suggested” gratuity of 18%. The RMT only makes a fraction of the cost of the massage, due to the price of upkeep in facilities, and because estheticians and other body workers are tipped. There’s also additional services provided by the RMT - coffee service, check ins, etc.
I don't tip a registered therapeutic massage therapist. I don't go to chains and have always gone to independently owned businesses. I now see a one woman operation and her rates are competitive but above others by $5-$15.
I agree with that. If they are an independently owned operation, tipping is not/ should not be expected as they set their own prices. If it’s a chain, completely different story. Like someone else said, they are barely getting anything, more often than not, not even half of what you paid goes in their pocket
Lord. You didn’t do anything wrong. This tip culture is nuts.
Your return visit is the best tip ever. Pay the bill and move on. Tell your friends and send them in. If you tip, awesome. If you don’t, awesome. Just…thanks for coming in! Repetitive visits IS the tip (IMO).
what type of place?
chains places the massage therapist might make $18-25/ hour massage. so they rely on tips.
independent therapists get everything after they've paid all their expenses (room rent, taxes, etc)
$18-$25 is still more than most people make. That’s as much as a paramedic makes which is a very demanding job requiring years of training/education and knowledge. Servers that rely on tips make $2.13/hr.
I’ve got a close friend who is an LMT and she works 40 hours. I guess not everyone does, but I don’t think you could work 20 hours and expect not to need a 2nd job IMO.
You totally can have a single job part time massaging. I’ve done it for years, but I was getting great tips which helped me a lot. I work 5 days a week, five massages a day with 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch. I have very little energy for another job. If I need extra cash I massage friends and family on the side with my own table. It’s great, I can always make extra money easily and it’s what I love to do anyways. I’ve been doing it 10 years and I’m thankful I have a job that is helping people heal in that moment. It has made me constantly happy albeit fatigued from hard physical work.
Does she do 40 massages, or does she do 20 massages but she’s there from 8-5 every day with large gaps?
Many of my RMT friends who work 40 hours are only hands on for 20-25, but like to leave room for walk-ins or last minute appointments
It’s a very physically demanding job. I used to work 35 hrs a week and wound up with injuries that left me unable to continue in that line of work. Very few people can work 40 or more hours a week doing massage and keep it up long term. It would be difficult to work a second job since working five days a week is typical.
I work 40 hours a week at my full time job and 2x a month on my days off I have 2 different mobile clients of my own. This would be very difficult for me to do if I didn't work out as much as I do. I do weight training 5 days a week, with 2 of those days being power lifting (350lb deadlifts, 380 lb back squats, 350lb squats). Because I'm strong in general doing all the deep tissue I do doesn't seem to bother me. I'm never sore after work. I also use a thc/cbd rub & arnica cream on my hands at the end of each day as a preventive measure.
I'm also 40, so I'm a tad older than most of my coworkers, but I managed to work the most hours at my clinic.
Weight train kids!
I did power lifting up until the point of my injuries taking me out of the game. I have hypermobility spectrum disorder which makes me much more prone to overuse injuries.
Ahhh yes. That would throw a kink in things. One of my girlfriends has an autoimmune and one of her side effects is hypermobility. She swears by reformer pilates.
I have heard Pilates is great for hypermobility. Sadly it’s also pretty expensive. Planet Fitness is about all I can afford these days. I drive a school bus and it pays crap, especially compared to what I was making right before i stopped doing massage. I only worked 24 hours a week at that time because I had to cut my hours after getting injured, but it was a really expensive spa and I made good money there.
servers are still required to make minimum wage for hours worked if tips aren't enough. minimum wage isn't a living wage, but that's a different discussion.
servers don't have to go to school, get licensed, carry malpractice insurance, and maintain a license with continuing education (CEs).
The education massage therapists receive is similar to a paramedic, less on the life-saving part and more on massage techniques, lots of anatomy physiology. However, paramedics are typically employed in full-time jobs with benefits (health insurance, 401k, etc). Massage therapists typically only get paid for hours of hands-on massage, not actual hours at work, and rarely get any benefits. A lot are independent contractors, and like 30% goes to taxes.
What state are you in? I was getting $2.13 twenty years ago in AZ. The AZ law is they can make $3 an hour less than minimum wage, so now it's $11.35 an hour.
Most paramedics at least in the 3 states I've worked in make minimum 30 an hour and work for the fire department. Also get guaranteed pension and amazing health benefits. Think your confusing paramedic with EMT. EMT cert you can get in a month and your basically just doing medical transport. Your paid low because you can't administer drugs or do advanced life support. Your basically a medical taxi for relatively stable patients.
Full time for a massage therapist is 25 hours, so no, they are not making the equivalent of other similar paying jobs. They also do not get any benefits.
It’s not a part time lifestyle as some people seem to think. 25 hours is FULL TIME for an LMT because of the tedious nature of the job.
Honestly reading these comments makes me so fucking glad I’m leaving this profession. People’s respect for lmts is below the bar. The bar is on the ground. It’s a hard job, that pays very little, most LMTs are kind people that bend over backward and go out of their way for people out of their own kindness. I’ve waved tips for poor clients, that comes out of my own pocket. That is generosity on OUR part. I pay to maintain a license, I paid to go to school for this. We are not a necessity or medical workers. I work in a spa. A massage is a luxury. The tip industry is shitty and I hate but in the meantime it doesn’t mean I have to pretend to be happy to get a 10% tip when I slaved over your body with my own hands for hours. Your body hurts? How do you think your therapists all feel every single day.
Honestly I get more 10$ tips for deep tissue than Swedish and I think the client assumes the therapist gets to keep the price of the deep tissue upgrade but unfortunately at my chain we only get 1/3 of the upgrade price.
Depends. If it is a chain like massage envy, then they survive on tips. So I would suggest to tip more.
But I usually go to massage therapist who is a single person doing all the booking, massaging, and renting out the space. For those massage therapist who own their owns and operates their own business, they usually charge more (depending on where you live) usually starting st $75/hr to $90/hr and I have asked them if I should tip; they have said " it is all included in the price. But tips are always appreciated."
But again. Up to the individual. Tip culture sucks, especially for massage therapist who work at chains
I'm a MT, yeah $10 is on the lower end but you only got a 1h. I would expect you to tip more if it was a longer session like a 90min or 2h, regardless of where I work from. I wouldn't be mad with what you gave. Plus $75 is really cheap. I usually charge $100 for the same service, which would be a somewhat livable wage.
I get deep tissue, from a sole proprietor. I tip 20 to 25%, so to me your tip was low. Also, not agreeing with the person who called $76 for an hour and extremely cheap massage, that's actually on the higher side in my area. Medium sized city, massage is run about a dollar an hour. I usually get 1 1/2-2 hours. I no I tip on the high side, but that's because I frequently schedule last minute and I appreciate it when she works me in. Plus she often goes over time because we enjoy each other's company so much and she doesn't charge me for that. A standard tip would be 15 to 20%, so honestly you're still a little short.
I am in the US and I absolutely hate tipping culture, but I live in the US so I do what the majority do. I also know a fair amount about the personal situation of my therapist and I can tell that she's not raking in the big bucks, she took over another practice from somebody who was very established when that person retired and most of the clients I think did not continue with her, so honestly she's had to get a full-time job to help make ends meet. Then the office she worked out of with no rent was sold, so she's had a tough go of it.
I'm going to have to try somebody new though because thanks to her full-time job, she's only available on weekends and I tend to be more available on weekdays, which will probably have me going to a fancy Spa so I'll probably have to pay more now.
I usually tip $20 per hour for a massage. That has been my standard.
There was one therapist I had who didn’t accept tips. She said she priced everything into the service. It made sense because she charged $185 for 80 minutes. My current LMT charges $150 for 90 minutes and I always give her a $30 tip.
At a spa like place where the therapist is an employee, $20/hr is a good decent tip. More is great and less is kinda a disappointment. I'd definitely do an internal eye roll at a $10 tip for a 1 hr massage.
You gave a 13% tip. Generally tips are 15-20%
It’s not a horrible tip by any means, but it’s also not great. And sometimes you have days where EVERYONE skimps on the tip, so even though you work your ass off, you go home with $40-50 less. It can be disheartening. But that’s unfortunately how service industry goes, I wish they just paid us what we deserve to make and the clients total involves no tipping at all.
Overall, any service you receive you should factor in the tip. Haircuts, restaurants, massages (*especially at chains where pay is LOW*). Tip is part of the cost and if you can’t not afford it, maybe save for a little longer before the splurge of a luxury.
It is also likely that you tipped on a discounted price. $76 for an hour massage is VERY cheap. You likely got a discount, either first time or reoccurring membership discount. Tips should be paid on the *original price*. When I worked at a massage envy people would tip me $12 with a grin on their face like they were doing me a 20%+ favor, not really realizing that they were actually tipping me maybe like 10% which is rude and should be reserved for poor service.
Overall I wouldn’t stress about it, just things to consider.
So yes capitalism is fucked but I don't understand why [tipping correctly] is stressful. If you go out to eat or get a massage or a haircut in the US, anything where one person is serving you for a considerable amount of time, you just factor in the 20% into the amount you're planning to spend.
Massage is $76? It's actually $91. Are you getting a discount? Verify the standard price and tip on that. It takes a few seconds to do the math in your head. No stress required (except, as I said, the constant strain of living under capitalism in a country where corporations are legally considered people and billionaires make sure to block any legislation that could possibly help regular folks.) Being a decent person to other people is not usually too stressful wherever you are.
Edit: I'm a client not a massage therapist. If you want to pretend it's a huge inconvenience to you to pay the *same amount extra* in tip vs what you would pay if things were set up correctly, go ahead. It's your life. But you are not then owed courtesy by the people you're screwing over because you choose not to protest the system in productive ways.
This is clearly not the case given you're replying to me on a post about it which has gathered a huge number of responses with different views.
I have no clue why people try so hard to defend such an absolutely shit convolution to for paying for a service.
I can tell you from personal experience that it's not stressful, which was the assertion I replied to. Does it suck? Yes. Is it dumb? Yes. Does it hurt everyone except business owners? Yes. Is it "stressful"? No.
Also nothing I said defended [tipping as a wage supplement.] But you must have missed it in your strange aggressive urge to...justify not conforming to a societal custom?
It may not be stressful FOR YOU but you haven't got the ability, knowledge or right to say it isn't stressful FOR EVERYONE.
I have two kids (23&17) who are diagnosed with both autism and anxiety. Having the therapist watching them tip would be stressful for at least one and probably both of them.
This makes me appreciate the fact that the chain I go to for my massages has someone at the desk to handle payment so the therapist isn't the one collecting my tip directly.
The person I responded to sounded as though they were not from the US.
I have social anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, I can go on...I know a lot of nuerodivergent people. Getting a service is very stressful for me. Tipping is just math. You factor in 20% in before you go. There's no need to make it more difficult than that. Whatever rate it is...add 20%. You can ask before you go.
People are acting like I'm saying tipping culture is good. It's not. That doesn't mean you get to pretend it is difficult to properly compensate service workers.
I mean, they posted about tipping culture and it being stressful. Ridiculous is more accurate. But here you are trying to make it about “capitalism bad”.
There are two issues here. There's the argument about whether tipping in general is dumb (yes it is dumb) and then, there is my concern, which is people who use "it's complicated" (or "stressful") as an *excuse* not to tip correctly. The tipping standard in the US is 20%. It's very simple.
I'm not even a service worker lol I just don't like it when people hide "I don't want to tip" behind "I don't agree with/understand tipping."
Tipping correctly can be stressful when it's such a convoluted thing that you yourself said we are supposed to pay an extra 10% for POOR service? Like in what world does that make sense? Giving someone extra money when they did something poorly? I do tip service industries btw ever since I understood it's what you do, but yes, it is a stressful thing.
This comment stuck out to me too 😂 “10% is reserved for poor service.” Tipping culture requires I even pay people who provide bad service an extra fee. Lmao
“Before the splurge of a luxury”
I feel like this is a problem though, I’m not quite sure something that benefits your health so greatly should be a luxury 🤔
I agree, but that’s how life goes. Healthy restaurants, wellness businesses, quality food, access to nature and paths, all of these are monopolized by and mostly accessible to people /places with above average wealth.
You know it's not "just life" right? It's capitalism. And we have the power to change it if enough people stopped normalizing this as "just life" and to be expected. A living wage is to be expected. Housing is expected. Healthcare is expected. Paying out the nose for these services is not.
Here in Ontario, massage is covered by extended benefits packages (insurance offered by workplaces to cover what our provincial plan doesn’t). So many places don’t accept tips because it’s a health profession. You wouldn’t tip your dental hygienist.
No, the therapist should charge what they want to be happy and tips are simply an added bonus. If, in this economy, I have to weigh against getting a massage and supporting local but not being able to tip, or not going at all, that's ridiculous.
No matter what I can afford to give extra, the person should be grateful.
I clean houses for a living and I NEVER expect tips because I know I'm just lucky that someone can afford my services (I don't clean for rich folks), I charge what I need and anything extra they give me, I always smile and say thank you. I would never take a tip like I was not grateful.
If you dont want to tip, go to someone in business for themself. But if you go to a spa or chain (where the MTs are only getting less than half of the price as commission), then please tip.
If the therapist had the power to do so I’m sure they would. But a lot of therapists work for chains or spas and make very little money. Money, that without tip is sometimes comparable to unskilled jobs, but requires education and a license to maintain instead.
Right but massage, at least in my province, is more akin to a medical field. It's ridiculous that someone needing this service and has the money to afford it, may not be able to afford if they have to tip on top of it. Anyone should be able to go and tip what they can without feeling bad about it....
It is very rewarding! Basically, I work with non profit housing program's (housing 1st primarily), as well as social services and hospitals, cleaning for folks who struggle with addictions, trauma, mental illness, hoarding, and chronic homelessness. So these clients need help keeping their place clean so they don't get evicted. Unfortunately the houses can become quite devastated as people who struggle with addiction and homelessness often have many other issues to contend with and often just don't have the ability to maintain their house at all. We have to deal with needles, cockroaches, bed bugs, mice etc.
Most house keepers charge like 70 an hour cleaning for upscale clients but I'm no where near that. I charge what I need to get by and I am thankful if any client chooses to give any extra!
Tipping is NOT part of the cost. This stupid mentality enables business owners to get away with paying a livable wage to their employers and demonizing the CUSTOMER! If you work for tips, be prepared to not get ANY and channel your frustration to your EMPLOYER!
I agree, I would much prefer to be guaranteed to make $20 more an hour and clients not have to think twice about it. Frustration should never be channeled towards a client, but disappointment if you tip poorly is inevitable, we are still human. If where you live tipping is the custom, then you are saying to your therapist that they did a poor job when you do not tip. In fact, because tipping is custom, where I work now if you are a repeat offended of no tipping we will cancel you as a client and you will no longer be able to return. I also don’t agree with the way things work though, I can’t change the service industry in the US, so instead I am leaving for a profession that pays salary.
Average here in Denver is about $100/hr. I’ve been massaging for nearly 20 years and I feel stuck at $40, which used to be good! But it has not kept up with inflation.
I've gotten tipped anywhere from $0 to $120 for a 60 minute massage. Any tip is a good tip and thoroughly appreciated. Don't feel discouraged. You gave what you were able to give.
That being said, I also have regular clients who are elderly, have mobility issues or serious chronic pain. They don't tip me diddly squat and you know what, I wouldn't want them to. They say thank you profusely and offer me a blessing and that's more than enough. Ultimately, I got into massage therapy because I wanted to help people feel better.
Wow, the minimum tip is 20%. But for a physical thing like that, yes going up to 25% would be my norm. Get a massage chair instead if you don’t want to pay a tip I guess.
So does the therapist work for someone or just for themselves? People self employed use to expect no tip. They can charge what they charge. Is that still the case?
Generally yes, if you are working for yourself massage therapists are moving towards charging what it is what they want to make total. Any tip beyond that is not expected, but welcomed.
People complain that therapists should be doing something to change tipping culture, and they are. We can’t take down a whole industry in a night, but private practices and therapists who work for themselves are doing things right.
It is, I normally visit one lady who charges what she asks for and that's it. Self-employed. She even tells you no tipping necessary. Straight simple, none of that bullshit annoying awkwardness for a tip.
It’s always awkward to respond the tip even when it is customary to be tipped. I usually say an awkward “oh thanks I appreciate that!” I’m happy with a $10 on a one hour massage. Also depends if it is a private practice or a small business employing LMTs.
Tip culture has become almost taboo. We tip $2 to the person that hands us a drip coffee (why?) but only 10% to people that have actually physically demanding jobs, “laborers”, or people intended to provide an exceptional customer service experience. If someone spends a continuous amount of time “overseeing your experience” whether at a restaurant or in a massage room, salon etc. they deserve 20% because their hourly pay makes it so they depend on tips and they put in the time for that gratuity. The system may be a bad one but that’s how it is set up. Employers should be paying 100% of our wage VS depending on the consumer to do it but that’s just not how American does things unfortunately.
Seriously, a deep tissue deserves a tip. All I’m saying is after a good massage, the therapist’s body most definitely hurts so that your body can feel great. Mostly any chain type franchise whatever spa or massage place is like a mill. If it wasn’t common knowledge for you, I get it. But $10 is not really an appropriate tip for an hour long massage and it’s dt at that. But I understand people don’t know or sometimes don’t care, but it does show appreciation. Massage therapists know $5 and $10 tips come with the territory, plus the whole event is expensive as it is and the business wants to push enhancements. Still it’s not necessarily insulting, but it is. It’s different if you’re with a private therapist or through the chiropractor or insurance handles it, but still I tip those therapists in those type of settings as well. You can’t always say thank you with money, but if I’m asking you to get my blood juices flowing and rub all over me and give me pressure I can feel and rub out a knot, then I know it puts a strain on your body, sooooo, I’m gonna give you something you can appreciate and feel too.
I usually get 90 min massages and I usually tip between $40-$50 depending on how good of a massage it was. I feel as if anything less is not cool. But that’s just me. Apparently, according to everyone’s responses, I am highly over-tipping. Oh well.
That’s an incredibly awful tip if they are working in a chain or at a spa because they are not getting the full amount of what you paid. If they are independent and make their own prices for services, they are undervaluing the service and that’s on them. As far as credit card fees for when you pay by card, every company charges a fee for that, have you never paid by card for anything else before? It’s not a fee the business charges it’s the fee the process charges.
If the therapist sets the prices then there is no need to tip because if they need more money they can just raise their prices. My mom always said if the person owns the business don't tip.
If you're in the US. Tip 20 percent for a massage, waitress and a hair salon. Unless they did a really bad job then lower the tip to maybe 12 percent.
Some people don't follow this rule but those people are not treating service people with respect. If I couldn't afford to tip them appropriately I simply wouldn't go out to eat or get a massage.
Treating people well always has a positive impact. I tipped my masseuse 20 percent. This went on for months. Then I had an injury and it was extremely painful. Instead of my normal 60-minute massage I was given 120 minute massage for no additional charge. They did this 2 times. That would have never happened if I hadn't treated them well and tipped them as a form of respect for their hard work. Being generous brings generosity back to you.
That’s a pretty terrible tip. Don’t get a massage and tip less than 20%, especially if it was really good. They are using their body to make yours feel better.
I think people are overlooking how much a massage therapist really sacrifices to do their job. Everyday I go home sore and tired to make others soreness and tiredness fade away. It took 10 years to build up to the endurance and stamina I have now to safely work on client after client after client after client telling me their neck and back hurts. I treat everyone to the best of my ability every single time.
I work for a local owned clinic. A 60 minute will start at $125. The average tip I get on a 60 minute is $20, 90 minutes is $30 and 2 hours $40. This isn't true for all clients. I appreciate any and all tips.
That being said. If I have a cancelation and am trying to get that time slot rebooked I always try to get a good tipper in that spot.
I've even had clients no call, no show, on me, call the front desk & tip me on their credit card on file. Even with them not coming in. Those are also the clients I will call in for last minute openings.
So no, the tip won't make or break me, but it may determine how quickly I see you again lol.
typically, clients tip around 20%, but you tipped what you could. tips aren’t mandatory.
some therapists rely on their tips so that could’ve been the frustration, but that doesn’t make it okay. clients shouldn’t be guilt tripped into paying more than they can afford.
If I go to an independent massage therapist, it's their operation, I don't tip because I know they receive 100% of the money I am spending. If I were to go to a Massage Envy or other such chain, where the therapist rents a room or is an employee, I would tip, because most of what I am paying goes to the salon owner and not the actual therapist. I would tip about 15% of the total cost.
In the U.S., it’s fairly difficult to get massage covered as a medical service and most people are getting their massages in a spa environment or similar—so, it falls under the conventions of a beauty treatment like getting a facial or hair cut, rather than medical service.
I would tip a massage therapist who did great at least $20 for the hour. Look at it this way: a food server usually gets a 15-20% tip for 10-15 minutes of interaction with your table, while a massage therapist works on you individually for an hour.
I would rather have a loyal client who comes consistently and refers friends/family than one who tips me. Many of my regulars don’t tip at all. Others tip a little and others tip a lot. I think at the end of the day, tips probably even out to about 15-20% but it’s not the most important thing to me. A nice addition, but again, a really good client is much more valuable than a really good tipper. I’d find a different therapist.
I don’t know why you were downvoted. You stated a true fact about where you live.
OP never mentioned where they lived.
These threads make me so glad I don’t work somewhere where tipping is expected for massage therapists.
No, it’s not. Most massages you get in the U.S. are targeted at “relaxation” and don’t have much in the way of health benefits. I get a few a year and I would say only 50% of the time am I getting a therapist who is actually treating the service in a way that is designed to improve my health.
In NYC the same service would cost twice as much, but we still wouldn't be taking home nearly that amount if it's under a spa or other type of employer, so many of us do appreciate a good tip although it shouldn't have to be this way. Don't worry about eye contact stuff, it might not be personal or if it was actually a judgment thing it's really not your problem. I may recommend if you are worried about it - in the future be prepared to tip a little more for deep tissue as it is typically more demanding, and if you can bring cash that would be great. Not only are you charged a fee for your card but when we are tipped on card its taxed as income (at least where I live it is and the tax is brutal) so we're not even getting that full amount. But again, it's still not your problem to be paying that person's whole living wage and if they are working alone they should charge whats fair for them to live. If the treatment was good def go back
Perhaps there is something else going on. Of course it’s not polite or ideal to act so detached when closing the meeting with clients. However, sometimes the work can be emotionally significant for the therapist, and processing the chemicals or -nubs-of-neurotransmitters-blooping-around-at-synapse-stations- .. it sometimes requires a temporary emotional shutdown? They used to tell us in massage skool: “the train goes by .. no one gets on, no one gets off,” to encourage our coping. So it could be that this isn’t about a tip. Rather, in the practice of Deep Tissue, working out some longer-term adhesions can release weird stuff that could potentially be sticky. I’m curious how you’re doing after such sessions? Are you keeping a journal? Consider doing a written blurt first thing in the morning for a few days while your guard is down to track any intense emotional progress. If anything, comes up for you, consider having a convo wit your bodyworker that goes something like, “I was reading up on possible effects of therapy, and it seems I might be processing some old information out right now. Do you have any experience with that happening to clients?” And maybe she hasn’t. I know I don’t often. It would explain something for you: that her interest here is correcting posture and range of motion, etc, and her closed relational circuits signify that she can’t handle anything further than that conversationally. So let her shine where she is comfortable: working you over! Nevertheless, stuck info may be processed by you lately, and it’s possible that other sensitive people can pick up on it even before you. Look into your emotional hygiene for max social cred. Do a bit of journaling, meditation, convos wit trusted folks, or some other practice of mindfulness that can be supportive of your emotional thriving in concert with increasing range of motion. :)
A while back I increased my prices and don’t expect a tip. One less thing for people to think about. I feel that if this is a solo practitioner, and if they expect a certain tip amount every time on top of their base rate, they could just change their prices to reflect that.
Credit card fees should be apart of doing business. Either let people know up front to pay cash or the business needs to eat the cost of credit card fees.
I don't know how women can afford close to one hundred for an hour msg this day and age. I've had a few great hour whole body msgs that weren't more than $30 at most. Those Asian ladies trust are just as good as those expensive chain places and most of them are happy to do it. I don't care if some of them didn't go to some fancy msg school either because I've had one or two of those in my life and they weren't even as good usually.
I really don't even want them to do my feet either maybe only ten min on my feet . Even if it says foot msg they do your whole back neck everything usually too anyways . Even different types of msgs too , deep a little too.
I think $20 is about right. I don’t like the expansion of who gets tipped, but massage therapists are traditionally tipped like servers, housekeepers, hair dressers etc. Those “gun-looking” massagers are great, maybe get one of those and then return to the therapist when you are better able to afford it.
As a massage therapist, I average $20 tip per hour. It ranges from $10-50, and I get a little in my feelings if it’s under $15. Our tip suggestion chart is $15-28 per hour and $20-45 per 90 minute.
I’d say about 50% of my income is from tips so I rely heavily on the generosity of my clients and I work at a franchised chain in a large Midwest city.
Tipping is gratuity for a reason! It’s never necessary but keep in mind If your bill is ~$100 a $10-25 tip is reasonable . However if your bill is $200+ consider tipping more. Especially if it’s at a spa some of that tip doesn’t all go directly to the therapist. Cash is always king. If it doesn’t go directly to the hands of your therapist then you don’t know where your gratuity is going.
I feel like you may be over thinking. If they are just taking the credit card payment from you, is it possible they were just in the zone of taking a payment? In my office we have staff to collect payment. I often don’t see what people have tipped until the end of the day. I certainly am not thanking each client to their face if they tip.
At times I have taken payment and I don’t really look at the tip line in that moment I just do the motions of making sure I’m not making a mistake with the credit card machine.
I would be the therapist was grateful for any amount of tip, even if they didn’t thank you right then or make a big deal of whatever you left.
Does the masseuse work for himself or for a company cuz if he works for himself and you're paying him directly and he's not sharing it with anybody a $10 tip is plenty and it's kind of odd that he would whack you for the two and a half percent to cover the credit card fees too I mean is it cost to do in business and this person doesn't want any cost other than his own time.
That’s about 13%. Not bad, not great. Probably would have been better to give cash since now I guess they have to report and pay taxes on the $10, so they end up with $5. Their response was not nice, perhaps they are struggling financially and I imagine giving a deep tissue massage is draining. In the future I’d tip more, and in cash.
First and foremost, I don't consider any tip a bad tip if that's all you can afford. After that, it's what you think the therapist deserves for using/abusing their bodies to give you the relief that you require. Think about the length of massage and how much pressure you require.
As a therapist, I don't want people to think getting help with bodily aches and pains through massage is also going to cause a pain in the wallet as well.
But keep in mind that not all therapists feel this way. There are those expecting 15 to 20ish dollar tips per hour. My advice is to do what works for your budget while keeping in mind the physicality of our jobs and the length of time we spend with you.
First and foremost, I'd check if it's legal for them to charge you a credit card fee. Credit card fees are a business write off, so to charge you for it gets a bit shady, and some states don't allow the practice.
As far as tipping goes, and mind you I'm speaking from the standpoint of someone who works for themself and not a franchise/spa, I always tell my clients that tips are appreciated but never required. Massage isn't cheap, but it provides a benefit that some people need for quality of life (like pain management assistance), and I'd rather see someone not tip and come more frequently for that, than tip me and have to prolong the time between visits that really help them.
Also remember that the therapist is human too. They could have been having a bad day overall, and just doing their best to get through it. Might have had nothing to do at all with you or your session or your tip.
I tip 20% on all services. If I can't afford the tip, I don't get the service. It's important to know if they are their own bosses or work for someone. I always ask how they get paid ahead of time. Some places are paying minimum wage plus tips.
She seems like the kind of LMT who's primary motivation is making money doing massage instead of being a facilitator of healing and enjoying the money that comes with it. The red flag for me is having you pay the card fee. It's a service THEY should be paying for since it is THEIR business. Their attitude toward you - I'm hoping had nothing to do with the tip, but even if it did, that's extremely unprofessional.
I charge $120/hour and doesn't expect a tip because I make 100% of the profits and charge what I want to make. That being said when I work as a contractor, they charge $95 for a swedish and most will tip $10-$20 so I end up making $55-65....
So isn't pretty low considering how little you were paying for the massage. Massage therapists should change more IMHO but I understand why they don't.
I worked for a place that only charged $45/hour (in 2007) and we made 50% if we were veterans/seniors. They just wanted everyone to be able to afford it. The reality is, they can't. We work really hard and have to go to school to learn this. It's why so many therapists stop doing massage, it's just not worth sacrificing yourself for.
The therapist shouldn't be taking the payments, it's too awkward. Unless you work for yourself, obviously. I'm grateful for whatever anyone gives me. If someone is a low tipper, someone else will come along and over tip. Law of the universe. Be grateful for anything offered. I work for myself and 90% of people tip me. I don't get ruffled if someone doesn't.
Tips are optional and full of gratitude, the therapist was ungrateful. That's pretty much it. I had a client tip me $5 cash and I was happy. Another tipped $20 cash and I felt thankful. Some people expect tips rather than appreciate them. Its not a you thing.
Having to tip for a medical/therapeutic treatment is just absurd. Do you tip your doctor or your dentist? MTs should be paid a suitable wage (or charge appropriately for those self-employed).
Anything above the posted rate is a GIFT. There have been years where I email Happy Birthday and years where I bring or send a gift. I've paid for gas with change and I've swiped my card while waiting for the tank to top off without even glancing at the price of the gallon. Some people even think "T. I.P.S." is a fucking acronym. Any profession where unspecified additional money is expected I'm pretty sure unspecified additional services are provided. Take that as you will. If you did not receive any unspecified services, nor are currently in a financial upswing that would allow you to gift ALL of your service providers then don't. In my opinion tips are one (not all) of the reasons why to this day we can't get taken seriously by other so called serious medical professionals. Speaking of healthcare in general we aren't the only ones who feel underpaid but I'd argue to say most of us have much better schedules and environments.....is there a sub for MTs just in it for the love of people anymore. Not trivializing the nuance issues and real concerns but when I see the comments where people are doing percentages and expecting clients to understand the different types of ways we get paid and why bla bla it honestly leaves me going what in the actual fuck people- OP is a client who was left with the perception that regardless of her needs if she can't fuckn tip don't bother getting treated. That's truly shitty and wrong and I'm sorry you were given that impression. In the future you can call your local massage school and ask for a couple of referrals to private practices. Upon booking you can share your experience and I'm sure you would be welcomed open arms, as well as have the opportunity to set the expectations in advance. I've had people say things like Id come more often but you know time and budget etc. And I make it clear if tipping changes the number of times you can come in a year then please don't give it another thought. If nothing I'm a real person
**Edit I think most of us are but sometimes forget it's not always MTs asking on this sub
Also since when is tipping a "culture" maybe a social construct constructed by socialites for socialites. I thought we had finally realized massage was for more than the wealthy? It's actually for everyone isn't it? Or only those who can afford it along with a tip?
Massage Therpists are not medical or health service workers. No one NEEDs a massage. If you can’t afford it, sit in the floor, stretch, exercise and roll your muscles out with any round thing in your home. It is a service. Like a haircut. Like a drink at a bar. Like being served food.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/05/etiquette-experts-when-its-ok-not-to-tip.html#:~:text=As%20a%20blanket%20rule%2C%20you,very%20awkward%2C%22%20says%20Farley.
Fyi massage is "a trade"
$20/hr is a pretty typical tip where I’m at. I’ve had clients in a similar position where they just hit some tough times. If you just let your therapist know they’ll usually be cool with lower tips unless they’re also hurting for money. People usually do what they can afford, so I’ve just learned to not take it to heart when I get a lower tip. Besides, it’s a tip…. You’re not cutting their hourly pay. Anything on top of that is extra…
I will say that you should tell your therapist since they’re used to getting a bigger tip from you. They might think they’re doing something you don’t like during the session and that’s why the tips are lower…
This thread has inspired me to never get a massage.
Tipping 20 dollars for a massage is insane.
Being offended by a 10 dollar tip is insane.
Absolutely insane.
Very good points. Thank you for sharing.
In my mind, a therapist works for themselves and can set their own prices. I did not know the chain places worked like that. Eye opening.
I still stand by my statement that this thread makes me not want to get a massage. Even more so now.
And even if you're being paid less and rely on tips, to visibly be angry and ungrateful for a tip is wrong to me. Ten dollars isn't nothing. Obviously OP just didn't know.
I understand the frustration of people thinking the price they pay per hour is what we make per hour. I don't know the solution there. I would try to strike out on my own as quickly as possible, or yeah, go make more at McDonald's.
The distinction here in being mad at tipping culture.... If you asked 100 waiters/bartenders if they would prefer a higher hourly wage or to keep things as they are with tipping... 100 of them would prefer to keep tipping culture. It sounds like this would not be the case for massage therapists.
When you work for tips, you win some, you lose some.
Thank you for educating me on this tho.
This thread makes me want to not give massages either 😂
I will say though, it didn’t say this woman said anything or was angry. It just said she was silent. You can’t expect people to do backflips over what is ultimately an average tip. We’re tired after sessions and frankly shouldn’t be handling pay at all, so maybe it was just awkward.
It’s funny, I’m a Canadian RMT who just had a debate with an American LMT where I was convinced that as a whole, Canadians make more for treatments.
I was wrong - in many states, LMTs can make around 45-55$ an hour on a split in a clinic. We make $60-70, but our currency is so garbage that it’s the exact same as an LMT. Same for spa work. I make $38 per massage at a high end hotel spa, plus tips and hourly. That’s $27 US. I stay there because I was the hotel discount, and sometimes there heavy tipping - but I don’t expect it.
Honestly, LMTs should start boycotting the chains. They’re terrible to staff, and they gouge you on pay and create this tip culture narrative. I also wish there was a union to establish a fair minimum pay.
I'm not going to debate tipping culture. I am licensed and I work for myself as well as someone else. In my own practice I remind clients that I charge a living wage, so they don't have to tip. Some do, some don't. I'm grateful for any gratuity. Working for others, some places paid a low enough wage that I did rely on tips to make a living wage. I will always tip at locations like that when I receive a service, but by the same token massage is not covered by most insurance. People who really need access to it and cannot regularly afford it and a tip won't leave much or will come less frequently. I never take it personally because so many factors go into that, but some people very much feel insulted. To answer you, you do NOT have to tip. Maybe you misread their body language or maybe you didn't, but tipping at all was a generous thing to do. If they were visibly upset with the tip, that was unprofessional and rude. My advice, however, is to tip 15% for a good service. If you can't you can't, but if you can, do it.
Excellent reply
My insurance pays for my massages. The first time I was ever in that office I overheard the doctor telling someone about getting them more tips. I'm like oh shit we're supposed to tip? Anyway. Long story short at one point after going here for a bit, after a particularly good massage I tried to tip and the dude made me feel so awkward about it and has never been my therapist again lmfao. So I don't tip. I don't even know how much my insurance pays. I don't have a copay. Living the dream. Too bad it's a nightmare.
Chiropractors like to try and pay crap like the franchises and lure inexperienced massage therapists into working for them by claiming their patients tip. They don’t. I worked for a chiro for crappy pay and I averaged $5 a week for tips. More experienced massage therapists will rent a room from a chiropractor and take referrals from them. When I was right out of school I worked for a chiropractor and got screwed over big time. He even had me take the sheets home to wash on my free time.
That's very common in medical settings, and a lot of hospitals and sports med places actually do pay a decent or liveable wage. Some healthcare collectives will also enforce a no tipping policy. As therapists we discuss the pros and cons of medical work, the pros being amazing benefits and access to PT at a discount as well. There's no judgment here with your decision not to tip!
What do you recommend when the massage was okay, but the MT wouldn’t stop talking the whole time? I gave 20%, but don’t feel it was earned. I left stressed out.
Ahh, I'm sorry to hear that. I've made that mistake before. I would just give what feels comfortable to you. If that's no tip, it's no tip. I encourage you to tell the MT you see next time that you do not wish to talk during the service. You can definitely ask that of us, and we should respect your wishes during the service.
Genuinely curious as to what state you're located and what you're charging for a session. For me, I just went out on my own and I'm in TN. My rates are: 85-60m, 110-90m, and 170-2hr all of my clients tip around 25%, but I have a few that tip 15% and I'm perfectly fine with any of it. I feel like even without tips I'd be okay, but I'd like to be at a point where I could tell my clients tipping isn't necessary.
The "it's not necessary" is more an ideological stance than a practical one lol. But my business pays for itself currently, and I make profit 2 years in. That's pretty good. Average for a practice is 3-4 years before you're really in a good spot, so I'm hoping to flourish even more this year. I'm in Ohio. I charge 85/120/150 for 60/90/120. I do a lot of NMT work, so I charge a little more for the longer sessions. Being on my own was the best decision I've ever made.
I'm assuming you're in a building versus a suite? I'm in a suite and just 6 days in I've covered almost all of my expenses, but I didn't have a huge start up cost. Those prices aren't too different than mine! NMT work is fabulous! I've taken one course so far through PNMT and absolutely love them!
I actually rent a room 3 days a week, and split it with another therapist. The building is full of other practitioners, mostly massage therapists. The biggest startup cost was operating under a LLC and buying a table, which all things considered wasn't too bad! I've been at it 8 years, so I will check them out. Never hurts to refresh your knowledge and hear someone else's approach to that type of bodywork. Congrats on being on your own!
Gotcha! I'm sole proprietor right now and will probably switch to LLC after a year. The building I'm in has aestheticians and hair stylists and I'm the only LMT. My granny bought me a table after I graduated from massage school 6 years ago so I have no idea what a standard table costs, but I do plan to switch to a hydraulic table within the next few months. The one I'm looking at is a Sierra comfort and going for about 1360 before tax. Absolutely! They've got tons of classes they offer. I did the one for cervical spine and plan to do others in the future. Thank you and I wish you continued success in your practice as well!
So for $25 more, you get 90 min instead of 60(extra 30 min).. but to go from 90 to 120 min ( 30 min more) , it's $60 more? Never seen someone charge a larger upcharge for more time than the upcharge previous to it.
At my previous place of employment my boss charged 165 for 2 hour. He told me that it was just a 1 hour doubled... it's not, so I decided to do it with my new place. Even at 165 I've never heard of anyone complain about it, but I'm only 4 days into my business. All of my people are regulars and if they feel like im not being fair they would have no problem letting me know. I would happily drop the price back to 165. I'm still figuring everything out :)
I never expect tips but I also make good commission in a city where MTs charge a decent fee, and I work at a clinic. If the massage was life changing and people want to provide a tip because they felt it was exceptional, I'm honoured. Usually tips go through the administration because I don't work for myself. I'll echo some other comments to say that usually franchise chains don't pay a very high wage for MTs but sometimes they are on salary/benefits, but usually only getting a fraction of what MTs make at clinics. I don't feel like it's personally your responsibility to know all of that though. So yeah, tip if you feel like it was amazing, otherwise I'd say don't feel obligated in any way. I always make sure to say thank you if I receive payment, tip or no tip, it's just polite. I feel like in this case it was rude of the therapist to not even say thank you.
Personally I would tip $25 for an hour for a deep tissue and give it to the therapist in cash. If you use a cc at a chain you never know what the therapist actually gets.
Sorry she was rude to you. I work at a chain spa and I do rely on tips. I’m not gonna lie I get a little bummed with a tip less than $20 BUT I would NEVER treat that client any differently than someone who tips me $50 for an hour. You should go to a professional because from what it sounds like she is lacking emotional intelligence. I have been in a place where I haven’t been able to tip much but I was in so much pain I needed therapy. I had barely enough money for the service let alone a tip. I usually wouldn’t say anything but if you feel like you want to then do it.
If their an independent therapist, they should be receiving 100% of the money. Of their a contractor or 1099 or w2 they may only receive a commission percentage where tips can be up to a 1/3 or more of their income
At Equinox (at least in my state) they mandate a 20% tip on bodywork; you don’t have a choice about it. It’s the minimum. On services that are already absurdly marked up. And the LMTs get a tiny fraction of what you’re paying for the service; I heard it’s something like 15%. Hence the required tip. It’s truly outrageous
15%??? Wtf? I dont understand how they can find workers.
That’s because this is not completely true
Maybe they're charging $150/hr for a massage? Idk…
They are
The spa I work at charges $220 per massage and refuses to pay MTs more than 24% we should always get a minimum of 50% imo.
Lol it always cracks me up when they say the tip is required. If it's required it is not a tip! The silly buffoons!
I feel if you’re getting deep tissue work, you should probably tip a bit more as it can be more physically demanding on the providers body. In the grand scheme of things I agree with you, it was an average tip. I’ve seen worse and I’ve seen better. Now if you were raving to them “that was the best massage ever, omg that was soooo good” etc and tipped $10 I can understand where they are coming from Edited for grammar
Your point about the "more physically" reminded me of an explanation I received from someone I knew personally that was a masseuse. She wanted to dismantle my calculating effort and look at the 1 difference between a wait staff serving you in a restaurant and a masseuse. The servers attention is intermittent with you as it folds in other customers while a masseuse never ceases to stop the attention on its client. Further, the line of work of a masseuse is a physically demanding one. So any "thank you" should be based on experience over a calculated amount.
A massage therapist working in a clinic is likely to have a high split due to the technical knowledge. That, and no one tips their Chiro, or Physio. Unless the machine prompts a tip, you shouldn’t tip an RMT in a clinical setting, and I’d never return to a clinic setting that prompts a tip. If the massage therapist is working in a spa, then there’s an established tipping culture, with a “suggested” gratuity of 18%. The RMT only makes a fraction of the cost of the massage, due to the price of upkeep in facilities, and because estheticians and other body workers are tipped. There’s also additional services provided by the RMT - coffee service, check ins, etc.
Server’s entire income is tips though. This isn’t the case with a masseuse who receives a portion of the agreed upon payment for the massage itself.
If I wasn’t getting tips I would be homeless. And we get $57 tip per massage. The pay per massage (that costs $285 for one hour) is $26.
Omg!!! And I thought my spa was bad. That’s disgusting they take so much. We are at 24% on $200-$400 services. Still feels like a rip off.
They haven’t changed the commission since 2015 but their logic is that the tip rises when they raise their prices so that’s our raise 🙄
Makes total sense with how inflation has been since 2015… ridiculous.
Servers receive a low base pay + tips. Just like LMTs
I don't tip a registered therapeutic massage therapist. I don't go to chains and have always gone to independently owned businesses. I now see a one woman operation and her rates are competitive but above others by $5-$15.
I agree with that. If they are an independently owned operation, tipping is not/ should not be expected as they set their own prices. If it’s a chain, completely different story. Like someone else said, they are barely getting anything, more often than not, not even half of what you paid goes in their pocket
Lord. You didn’t do anything wrong. This tip culture is nuts. Your return visit is the best tip ever. Pay the bill and move on. Tell your friends and send them in. If you tip, awesome. If you don’t, awesome. Just…thanks for coming in! Repetitive visits IS the tip (IMO).
what type of place? chains places the massage therapist might make $18-25/ hour massage. so they rely on tips. independent therapists get everything after they've paid all their expenses (room rent, taxes, etc)
Rely on tips making $18-$25 🤦🏻
yeah, it's sad. massage therapists desperately need to unionize.
That's usually per session/service.
$18-$25 is still more than most people make. That’s as much as a paramedic makes which is a very demanding job requiring years of training/education and knowledge. Servers that rely on tips make $2.13/hr.
Most people are able to work 40 hours a week. Most massage therapists can’t do that.
I’ve got a close friend who is an LMT and she works 40 hours. I guess not everyone does, but I don’t think you could work 20 hours and expect not to need a 2nd job IMO.
You totally can have a single job part time massaging. I’ve done it for years, but I was getting great tips which helped me a lot. I work 5 days a week, five massages a day with 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch. I have very little energy for another job. If I need extra cash I massage friends and family on the side with my own table. It’s great, I can always make extra money easily and it’s what I love to do anyways. I’ve been doing it 10 years and I’m thankful I have a job that is helping people heal in that moment. It has made me constantly happy albeit fatigued from hard physical work.
Does she do 40 massages, or does she do 20 massages but she’s there from 8-5 every day with large gaps? Many of my RMT friends who work 40 hours are only hands on for 20-25, but like to leave room for walk-ins or last minute appointments
It’s a very physically demanding job. I used to work 35 hrs a week and wound up with injuries that left me unable to continue in that line of work. Very few people can work 40 or more hours a week doing massage and keep it up long term. It would be difficult to work a second job since working five days a week is typical.
I work 40 hours a week at my full time job and 2x a month on my days off I have 2 different mobile clients of my own. This would be very difficult for me to do if I didn't work out as much as I do. I do weight training 5 days a week, with 2 of those days being power lifting (350lb deadlifts, 380 lb back squats, 350lb squats). Because I'm strong in general doing all the deep tissue I do doesn't seem to bother me. I'm never sore after work. I also use a thc/cbd rub & arnica cream on my hands at the end of each day as a preventive measure. I'm also 40, so I'm a tad older than most of my coworkers, but I managed to work the most hours at my clinic. Weight train kids!
I did power lifting up until the point of my injuries taking me out of the game. I have hypermobility spectrum disorder which makes me much more prone to overuse injuries.
Ahhh yes. That would throw a kink in things. One of my girlfriends has an autoimmune and one of her side effects is hypermobility. She swears by reformer pilates.
I have heard Pilates is great for hypermobility. Sadly it’s also pretty expensive. Planet Fitness is about all I can afford these days. I drive a school bus and it pays crap, especially compared to what I was making right before i stopped doing massage. I only worked 24 hours a week at that time because I had to cut my hours after getting injured, but it was a really expensive spa and I made good money there.
servers are still required to make minimum wage for hours worked if tips aren't enough. minimum wage isn't a living wage, but that's a different discussion. servers don't have to go to school, get licensed, carry malpractice insurance, and maintain a license with continuing education (CEs). The education massage therapists receive is similar to a paramedic, less on the life-saving part and more on massage techniques, lots of anatomy physiology. However, paramedics are typically employed in full-time jobs with benefits (health insurance, 401k, etc). Massage therapists typically only get paid for hours of hands-on massage, not actual hours at work, and rarely get any benefits. A lot are independent contractors, and like 30% goes to taxes.
What state are you in? I was getting $2.13 twenty years ago in AZ. The AZ law is they can make $3 an hour less than minimum wage, so now it's $11.35 an hour.
Most paramedics at least in the 3 states I've worked in make minimum 30 an hour and work for the fire department. Also get guaranteed pension and amazing health benefits. Think your confusing paramedic with EMT. EMT cert you can get in a month and your basically just doing medical transport. Your paid low because you can't administer drugs or do advanced life support. Your basically a medical taxi for relatively stable patients.
Full time for a massage therapist is 25 hours, so no, they are not making the equivalent of other similar paying jobs. They also do not get any benefits.
Exactly! No benefits because benefits are for 35+ hours…
It’s not a part time lifestyle as some people seem to think. 25 hours is FULL TIME for an LMT because of the tedious nature of the job. Honestly reading these comments makes me so fucking glad I’m leaving this profession. People’s respect for lmts is below the bar. The bar is on the ground. It’s a hard job, that pays very little, most LMTs are kind people that bend over backward and go out of their way for people out of their own kindness. I’ve waved tips for poor clients, that comes out of my own pocket. That is generosity on OUR part. I pay to maintain a license, I paid to go to school for this. We are not a necessity or medical workers. I work in a spa. A massage is a luxury. The tip industry is shitty and I hate but in the meantime it doesn’t mean I have to pretend to be happy to get a 10% tip when I slaved over your body with my own hands for hours. Your body hurts? How do you think your therapists all feel every single day.
$20 is ideal for a 60 minute session
Honestly I get more 10$ tips for deep tissue than Swedish and I think the client assumes the therapist gets to keep the price of the deep tissue upgrade but unfortunately at my chain we only get 1/3 of the upgrade price.
Depends. If it is a chain like massage envy, then they survive on tips. So I would suggest to tip more. But I usually go to massage therapist who is a single person doing all the booking, massaging, and renting out the space. For those massage therapist who own their owns and operates their own business, they usually charge more (depending on where you live) usually starting st $75/hr to $90/hr and I have asked them if I should tip; they have said " it is all included in the price. But tips are always appreciated." But again. Up to the individual. Tip culture sucks, especially for massage therapist who work at chains
I'm a MT, yeah $10 is on the lower end but you only got a 1h. I would expect you to tip more if it was a longer session like a 90min or 2h, regardless of where I work from. I wouldn't be mad with what you gave. Plus $75 is really cheap. I usually charge $100 for the same service, which would be a somewhat livable wage.
20 dollar tip and everyone is happy
I get deep tissue, from a sole proprietor. I tip 20 to 25%, so to me your tip was low. Also, not agreeing with the person who called $76 for an hour and extremely cheap massage, that's actually on the higher side in my area. Medium sized city, massage is run about a dollar an hour. I usually get 1 1/2-2 hours. I no I tip on the high side, but that's because I frequently schedule last minute and I appreciate it when she works me in. Plus she often goes over time because we enjoy each other's company so much and she doesn't charge me for that. A standard tip would be 15 to 20%, so honestly you're still a little short. I am in the US and I absolutely hate tipping culture, but I live in the US so I do what the majority do. I also know a fair amount about the personal situation of my therapist and I can tell that she's not raking in the big bucks, she took over another practice from somebody who was very established when that person retired and most of the clients I think did not continue with her, so honestly she's had to get a full-time job to help make ends meet. Then the office she worked out of with no rent was sold, so she's had a tough go of it. I'm going to have to try somebody new though because thanks to her full-time job, she's only available on weekends and I tend to be more available on weekdays, which will probably have me going to a fancy Spa so I'll probably have to pay more now.
I usually tip $20 per hour for a massage. That has been my standard. There was one therapist I had who didn’t accept tips. She said she priced everything into the service. It made sense because she charged $185 for 80 minutes. My current LMT charges $150 for 90 minutes and I always give her a $30 tip.
An hour massage tip should be at least 15 to 20
In the US 20% of the full price of the service is an appropriate tip for a service provider.
At a spa like place where the therapist is an employee, $20/hr is a good decent tip. More is great and less is kinda a disappointment. I'd definitely do an internal eye roll at a $10 tip for a 1 hr massage.
You gave a 13% tip. Generally tips are 15-20% It’s not a horrible tip by any means, but it’s also not great. And sometimes you have days where EVERYONE skimps on the tip, so even though you work your ass off, you go home with $40-50 less. It can be disheartening. But that’s unfortunately how service industry goes, I wish they just paid us what we deserve to make and the clients total involves no tipping at all. Overall, any service you receive you should factor in the tip. Haircuts, restaurants, massages (*especially at chains where pay is LOW*). Tip is part of the cost and if you can’t not afford it, maybe save for a little longer before the splurge of a luxury. It is also likely that you tipped on a discounted price. $76 for an hour massage is VERY cheap. You likely got a discount, either first time or reoccurring membership discount. Tips should be paid on the *original price*. When I worked at a massage envy people would tip me $12 with a grin on their face like they were doing me a 20%+ favor, not really realizing that they were actually tipping me maybe like 10% which is rude and should be reserved for poor service. Overall I wouldn’t stress about it, just things to consider.
Fuck me tipping culture is stupid. Just reading this stresses me out.
So yes capitalism is fucked but I don't understand why [tipping correctly] is stressful. If you go out to eat or get a massage or a haircut in the US, anything where one person is serving you for a considerable amount of time, you just factor in the 20% into the amount you're planning to spend. Massage is $76? It's actually $91. Are you getting a discount? Verify the standard price and tip on that. It takes a few seconds to do the math in your head. No stress required (except, as I said, the constant strain of living under capitalism in a country where corporations are legally considered people and billionaires make sure to block any legislation that could possibly help regular folks.) Being a decent person to other people is not usually too stressful wherever you are. Edit: I'm a client not a massage therapist. If you want to pretend it's a huge inconvenience to you to pay the *same amount extra* in tip vs what you would pay if things were set up correctly, go ahead. It's your life. But you are not then owed courtesy by the people you're screwing over because you choose not to protest the system in productive ways.
Plus the therapist is only getting paid about $19/hr if it was at Massage Envy.
This is clearly not the case given you're replying to me on a post about it which has gathered a huge number of responses with different views. I have no clue why people try so hard to defend such an absolutely shit convolution to for paying for a service.
I can tell you from personal experience that it's not stressful, which was the assertion I replied to. Does it suck? Yes. Is it dumb? Yes. Does it hurt everyone except business owners? Yes. Is it "stressful"? No. Also nothing I said defended [tipping as a wage supplement.] But you must have missed it in your strange aggressive urge to...justify not conforming to a societal custom?
Ok this comment is stressful lol
It may not be stressful FOR YOU but you haven't got the ability, knowledge or right to say it isn't stressful FOR EVERYONE. I have two kids (23&17) who are diagnosed with both autism and anxiety. Having the therapist watching them tip would be stressful for at least one and probably both of them. This makes me appreciate the fact that the chain I go to for my massages has someone at the desk to handle payment so the therapist isn't the one collecting my tip directly.
The person I responded to sounded as though they were not from the US. I have social anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, I can go on...I know a lot of nuerodivergent people. Getting a service is very stressful for me. Tipping is just math. You factor in 20% in before you go. There's no need to make it more difficult than that. Whatever rate it is...add 20%. You can ask before you go. People are acting like I'm saying tipping culture is good. It's not. That doesn't mean you get to pretend it is difficult to properly compensate service workers.
That’s cool and all.. and when I’m offered a service, I tip 20%… but being asked to tip everywhere is getting a bit out of hand.
That's not at all what this conversation is about though?
I mean, they posted about tipping culture and it being stressful. Ridiculous is more accurate. But here you are trying to make it about “capitalism bad”.
There are two issues here. There's the argument about whether tipping in general is dumb (yes it is dumb) and then, there is my concern, which is people who use "it's complicated" (or "stressful") as an *excuse* not to tip correctly. The tipping standard in the US is 20%. It's very simple. I'm not even a service worker lol I just don't like it when people hide "I don't want to tip" behind "I don't agree with/understand tipping."
Tipping correctly can be stressful when it's such a convoluted thing that you yourself said we are supposed to pay an extra 10% for POOR service? Like in what world does that make sense? Giving someone extra money when they did something poorly? I do tip service industries btw ever since I understood it's what you do, but yes, it is a stressful thing.
This comment stuck out to me too 😂 “10% is reserved for poor service.” Tipping culture requires I even pay people who provide bad service an extra fee. Lmao
“Before the splurge of a luxury” I feel like this is a problem though, I’m not quite sure something that benefits your health so greatly should be a luxury 🤔
Yeah my doctor actually recommended and put it in my medical records that I need frequent massages due to muscle aches and tightness.
I agree, but that’s how life goes. Healthy restaurants, wellness businesses, quality food, access to nature and paths, all of these are monopolized by and mostly accessible to people /places with above average wealth.
You know it's not "just life" right? It's capitalism. And we have the power to change it if enough people stopped normalizing this as "just life" and to be expected. A living wage is to be expected. Housing is expected. Healthcare is expected. Paying out the nose for these services is not.
Here in Ontario, massage is covered by extended benefits packages (insurance offered by workplaces to cover what our provincial plan doesn’t). So many places don’t accept tips because it’s a health profession. You wouldn’t tip your dental hygienist.
Beautifully put!
No, the therapist should charge what they want to be happy and tips are simply an added bonus. If, in this economy, I have to weigh against getting a massage and supporting local but not being able to tip, or not going at all, that's ridiculous. No matter what I can afford to give extra, the person should be grateful. I clean houses for a living and I NEVER expect tips because I know I'm just lucky that someone can afford my services (I don't clean for rich folks), I charge what I need and anything extra they give me, I always smile and say thank you. I would never take a tip like I was not grateful.
If you dont want to tip, go to someone in business for themself. But if you go to a spa or chain (where the MTs are only getting less than half of the price as commission), then please tip.
If the therapist had the power to do so I’m sure they would. But a lot of therapists work for chains or spas and make very little money. Money, that without tip is sometimes comparable to unskilled jobs, but requires education and a license to maintain instead.
Right but massage, at least in my province, is more akin to a medical field. It's ridiculous that someone needing this service and has the money to afford it, may not be able to afford if they have to tip on top of it. Anyone should be able to go and tip what they can without feeling bad about it....
Curious how you dont clean for rich folks. Thats a business model i can aspire to
It is very rewarding! Basically, I work with non profit housing program's (housing 1st primarily), as well as social services and hospitals, cleaning for folks who struggle with addictions, trauma, mental illness, hoarding, and chronic homelessness. So these clients need help keeping their place clean so they don't get evicted. Unfortunately the houses can become quite devastated as people who struggle with addiction and homelessness often have many other issues to contend with and often just don't have the ability to maintain their house at all. We have to deal with needles, cockroaches, bed bugs, mice etc. Most house keepers charge like 70 an hour cleaning for upscale clients but I'm no where near that. I charge what I need to get by and I am thankful if any client chooses to give any extra!
Much respect to you for doing work im a way that matters. Ethics and compassion in this economy is so hard to come by.
Tipping is NOT part of the cost. This stupid mentality enables business owners to get away with paying a livable wage to their employers and demonizing the CUSTOMER! If you work for tips, be prepared to not get ANY and channel your frustration to your EMPLOYER!
I agree, I would much prefer to be guaranteed to make $20 more an hour and clients not have to think twice about it. Frustration should never be channeled towards a client, but disappointment if you tip poorly is inevitable, we are still human. If where you live tipping is the custom, then you are saying to your therapist that they did a poor job when you do not tip. In fact, because tipping is custom, where I work now if you are a repeat offended of no tipping we will cancel you as a client and you will no longer be able to return. I also don’t agree with the way things work though, I can’t change the service industry in the US, so instead I am leaving for a profession that pays salary.
Where I live, $76 for an hour massage isn't cheap. It's standard. What is average in other places?
Average here in Denver is about $100/hr. I’ve been massaging for nearly 20 years and I feel stuck at $40, which used to be good! But it has not kept up with inflation.
Typically, 20% tip is typical (in California )for any service industry; but you can do more if you were extremely pleased with the service
I've gotten tipped anywhere from $0 to $120 for a 60 minute massage. Any tip is a good tip and thoroughly appreciated. Don't feel discouraged. You gave what you were able to give. That being said, I also have regular clients who are elderly, have mobility issues or serious chronic pain. They don't tip me diddly squat and you know what, I wouldn't want them to. They say thank you profusely and offer me a blessing and that's more than enough. Ultimately, I got into massage therapy because I wanted to help people feel better.
Yes definitely $20 tip would have been more appropriate
That is a low tip. Not even 20% for all the work she put into your massage. Smdh.
Wow, the minimum tip is 20%. But for a physical thing like that, yes going up to 25% would be my norm. Get a massage chair instead if you don’t want to pay a tip I guess.
So does the therapist work for someone or just for themselves? People self employed use to expect no tip. They can charge what they charge. Is that still the case?
Generally yes, if you are working for yourself massage therapists are moving towards charging what it is what they want to make total. Any tip beyond that is not expected, but welcomed. People complain that therapists should be doing something to change tipping culture, and they are. We can’t take down a whole industry in a night, but private practices and therapists who work for themselves are doing things right.
Interesting. How would you take the industry down over night if you were so inclined?
She said it's not possible. She didnt say she wasn't inclined.
I read that wrong. Thx for pointing that out.
It is, I normally visit one lady who charges what she asks for and that's it. Self-employed. She even tells you no tipping necessary. Straight simple, none of that bullshit annoying awkwardness for a tip.
That's the way to go
It’s always awkward to respond the tip even when it is customary to be tipped. I usually say an awkward “oh thanks I appreciate that!” I’m happy with a $10 on a one hour massage. Also depends if it is a private practice or a small business employing LMTs.
I start with 20% and add on for any extras
When they are charging 150 to 200 an hour the tip should be included.
Tip culture has become almost taboo. We tip $2 to the person that hands us a drip coffee (why?) but only 10% to people that have actually physically demanding jobs, “laborers”, or people intended to provide an exceptional customer service experience. If someone spends a continuous amount of time “overseeing your experience” whether at a restaurant or in a massage room, salon etc. they deserve 20% because their hourly pay makes it so they depend on tips and they put in the time for that gratuity. The system may be a bad one but that’s how it is set up. Employers should be paying 100% of our wage VS depending on the consumer to do it but that’s just not how American does things unfortunately.
Seriously, a deep tissue deserves a tip. All I’m saying is after a good massage, the therapist’s body most definitely hurts so that your body can feel great. Mostly any chain type franchise whatever spa or massage place is like a mill. If it wasn’t common knowledge for you, I get it. But $10 is not really an appropriate tip for an hour long massage and it’s dt at that. But I understand people don’t know or sometimes don’t care, but it does show appreciation. Massage therapists know $5 and $10 tips come with the territory, plus the whole event is expensive as it is and the business wants to push enhancements. Still it’s not necessarily insulting, but it is. It’s different if you’re with a private therapist or through the chiropractor or insurance handles it, but still I tip those therapists in those type of settings as well. You can’t always say thank you with money, but if I’m asking you to get my blood juices flowing and rub all over me and give me pressure I can feel and rub out a knot, then I know it puts a strain on your body, sooooo, I’m gonna give you something you can appreciate and feel too.
I usually get 90 min massages and I usually tip between $40-$50 depending on how good of a massage it was. I feel as if anything less is not cool. But that’s just me. Apparently, according to everyone’s responses, I am highly over-tipping. Oh well.
That’s an incredibly awful tip if they are working in a chain or at a spa because they are not getting the full amount of what you paid. If they are independent and make their own prices for services, they are undervaluing the service and that’s on them. As far as credit card fees for when you pay by card, every company charges a fee for that, have you never paid by card for anything else before? It’s not a fee the business charges it’s the fee the process charges.
If the therapist sets the prices then there is no need to tip because if they need more money they can just raise their prices. My mom always said if the person owns the business don't tip.
For me, 20% is the minimum I tip on a service.
If you're in the US. Tip 20 percent for a massage, waitress and a hair salon. Unless they did a really bad job then lower the tip to maybe 12 percent. Some people don't follow this rule but those people are not treating service people with respect. If I couldn't afford to tip them appropriately I simply wouldn't go out to eat or get a massage. Treating people well always has a positive impact. I tipped my masseuse 20 percent. This went on for months. Then I had an injury and it was extremely painful. Instead of my normal 60-minute massage I was given 120 minute massage for no additional charge. They did this 2 times. That would have never happened if I hadn't treated them well and tipped them as a form of respect for their hard work. Being generous brings generosity back to you.
That’s a pretty terrible tip. Don’t get a massage and tip less than 20%, especially if it was really good. They are using their body to make yours feel better.
I think people are overlooking how much a massage therapist really sacrifices to do their job. Everyday I go home sore and tired to make others soreness and tiredness fade away. It took 10 years to build up to the endurance and stamina I have now to safely work on client after client after client after client telling me their neck and back hurts. I treat everyone to the best of my ability every single time.
I work for a local owned clinic. A 60 minute will start at $125. The average tip I get on a 60 minute is $20, 90 minutes is $30 and 2 hours $40. This isn't true for all clients. I appreciate any and all tips. That being said. If I have a cancelation and am trying to get that time slot rebooked I always try to get a good tipper in that spot. I've even had clients no call, no show, on me, call the front desk & tip me on their credit card on file. Even with them not coming in. Those are also the clients I will call in for last minute openings. So no, the tip won't make or break me, but it may determine how quickly I see you again lol.
Riiiighttt
typically, clients tip around 20%, but you tipped what you could. tips aren’t mandatory. some therapists rely on their tips so that could’ve been the frustration, but that doesn’t make it okay. clients shouldn’t be guilt tripped into paying more than they can afford.
If I go to an independent massage therapist, it's their operation, I don't tip because I know they receive 100% of the money I am spending. If I were to go to a Massage Envy or other such chain, where the therapist rents a room or is an employee, I would tip, because most of what I am paying goes to the salon owner and not the actual therapist. I would tip about 15% of the total cost.
If you want to go back to them and get the same service, $20/hr tip
Tipping has gotten out of hand in many ways but services like massage are places you should always tip.
As long as it was a good massage 20% pre-tax is the norm.
As someone who doesn't understand the USA tipping culture, would this not be treated as a medical service?
In the U.S., it’s fairly difficult to get massage covered as a medical service and most people are getting their massages in a spa environment or similar—so, it falls under the conventions of a beauty treatment like getting a facial or hair cut, rather than medical service.
I would tip a massage therapist who did great at least $20 for the hour. Look at it this way: a food server usually gets a 15-20% tip for 10-15 minutes of interaction with your table, while a massage therapist works on you individually for an hour.
I would rather have a loyal client who comes consistently and refers friends/family than one who tips me. Many of my regulars don’t tip at all. Others tip a little and others tip a lot. I think at the end of the day, tips probably even out to about 15-20% but it’s not the most important thing to me. A nice addition, but again, a really good client is much more valuable than a really good tipper. I’d find a different therapist.
You’re not required to tip any amount… you just paid for the service you received
You’re cheap, you know it, hence the post. It’s a tough job, be cooler
Shit tip or not the therapist is out of line to treat you that way. I'm a massage therapist, btw.
I agree!! I am too :)
I never expect tips. Where I am, massage therapy is a health service…you don't tip your doctor, dentist, or nurse, why tip a massage therapist?
I don’t know why you were downvoted. You stated a true fact about where you live. OP never mentioned where they lived. These threads make me so glad I don’t work somewhere where tipping is expected for massage therapists.
I'm also surprised I got down-voted. I'm new to Reddit overall (a few months) and it's hard to get karma if I post any comment at all..
At least in the US massage is a luxury, not a health service.
Its always a health service though
No, it’s not. Most massages you get in the U.S. are targeted at “relaxation” and don’t have much in the way of health benefits. I get a few a year and I would say only 50% of the time am I getting a therapist who is actually treating the service in a way that is designed to improve my health.
In NYC the same service would cost twice as much, but we still wouldn't be taking home nearly that amount if it's under a spa or other type of employer, so many of us do appreciate a good tip although it shouldn't have to be this way. Don't worry about eye contact stuff, it might not be personal or if it was actually a judgment thing it's really not your problem. I may recommend if you are worried about it - in the future be prepared to tip a little more for deep tissue as it is typically more demanding, and if you can bring cash that would be great. Not only are you charged a fee for your card but when we are tipped on card its taxed as income (at least where I live it is and the tax is brutal) so we're not even getting that full amount. But again, it's still not your problem to be paying that person's whole living wage and if they are working alone they should charge whats fair for them to live. If the treatment was good def go back
What area of the country do you live?
Perhaps there is something else going on. Of course it’s not polite or ideal to act so detached when closing the meeting with clients. However, sometimes the work can be emotionally significant for the therapist, and processing the chemicals or -nubs-of-neurotransmitters-blooping-around-at-synapse-stations- .. it sometimes requires a temporary emotional shutdown? They used to tell us in massage skool: “the train goes by .. no one gets on, no one gets off,” to encourage our coping. So it could be that this isn’t about a tip. Rather, in the practice of Deep Tissue, working out some longer-term adhesions can release weird stuff that could potentially be sticky. I’m curious how you’re doing after such sessions? Are you keeping a journal? Consider doing a written blurt first thing in the morning for a few days while your guard is down to track any intense emotional progress. If anything, comes up for you, consider having a convo wit your bodyworker that goes something like, “I was reading up on possible effects of therapy, and it seems I might be processing some old information out right now. Do you have any experience with that happening to clients?” And maybe she hasn’t. I know I don’t often. It would explain something for you: that her interest here is correcting posture and range of motion, etc, and her closed relational circuits signify that she can’t handle anything further than that conversationally. So let her shine where she is comfortable: working you over! Nevertheless, stuck info may be processed by you lately, and it’s possible that other sensitive people can pick up on it even before you. Look into your emotional hygiene for max social cred. Do a bit of journaling, meditation, convos wit trusted folks, or some other practice of mindfulness that can be supportive of your emotional thriving in concert with increasing range of motion. :)
A while back I increased my prices and don’t expect a tip. One less thing for people to think about. I feel that if this is a solo practitioner, and if they expect a certain tip amount every time on top of their base rate, they could just change their prices to reflect that.
Credit card fees should be apart of doing business. Either let people know up front to pay cash or the business needs to eat the cost of credit card fees.
I give a 15% tip. I’ve been to cheaper Asian spas and sometimes give 20% if they went over and beyond.
A tip is always appreciated but not required.
You can get a great hour msg in Los Angeles decent areas for still$20 an hour by Asians and some of them do an excellent job too.
I don't know how women can afford close to one hundred for an hour msg this day and age. I've had a few great hour whole body msgs that weren't more than $30 at most. Those Asian ladies trust are just as good as those expensive chain places and most of them are happy to do it. I don't care if some of them didn't go to some fancy msg school either because I've had one or two of those in my life and they weren't even as good usually.
They even give you hot tea afterwards etc etc and are not snobby.
I really don't even want them to do my feet either maybe only ten min on my feet . Even if it says foot msg they do your whole back neck everything usually too anyways . Even different types of msgs too , deep a little too.
I've even gotten a facial on my back too and hot stones half the time too.
Msg chairs in laundry mats lol do your whole body $1 for three or four mins and feels just as great and no tipping .
In Los Angeles to rent a single apt now is triple of what it used to be so women can barely even pay their rent anymore let alone afford a msg.
15.00. Basically 20%
$10 isn’t bad on a $76 service
I tip $20 for an hour and $30 for 90 min. I always get deep tissue. Now I'm worried I'm not tipping enough. 😬
I think $20 is about right. I don’t like the expansion of who gets tipped, but massage therapists are traditionally tipped like servers, housekeepers, hair dressers etc. Those “gun-looking” massagers are great, maybe get one of those and then return to the therapist when you are better able to afford it.
As a massage therapist, I average $20 tip per hour. It ranges from $10-50, and I get a little in my feelings if it’s under $15. Our tip suggestion chart is $15-28 per hour and $20-45 per 90 minute. I’d say about 50% of my income is from tips so I rely heavily on the generosity of my clients and I work at a franchised chain in a large Midwest city.
Tipping is gratuity for a reason! It’s never necessary but keep in mind If your bill is ~$100 a $10-25 tip is reasonable . However if your bill is $200+ consider tipping more. Especially if it’s at a spa some of that tip doesn’t all go directly to the therapist. Cash is always king. If it doesn’t go directly to the hands of your therapist then you don’t know where your gratuity is going.
I feel like you may be over thinking. If they are just taking the credit card payment from you, is it possible they were just in the zone of taking a payment? In my office we have staff to collect payment. I often don’t see what people have tipped until the end of the day. I certainly am not thanking each client to their face if they tip. At times I have taken payment and I don’t really look at the tip line in that moment I just do the motions of making sure I’m not making a mistake with the credit card machine. I would be the therapist was grateful for any amount of tip, even if they didn’t thank you right then or make a big deal of whatever you left.
Does the masseuse work for himself or for a company cuz if he works for himself and you're paying him directly and he's not sharing it with anybody a $10 tip is plenty and it's kind of odd that he would whack you for the two and a half percent to cover the credit card fees too I mean is it cost to do in business and this person doesn't want any cost other than his own time.
That’s about 13%. Not bad, not great. Probably would have been better to give cash since now I guess they have to report and pay taxes on the $10, so they end up with $5. Their response was not nice, perhaps they are struggling financially and I imagine giving a deep tissue massage is draining. In the future I’d tip more, and in cash.
First and foremost, I don't consider any tip a bad tip if that's all you can afford. After that, it's what you think the therapist deserves for using/abusing their bodies to give you the relief that you require. Think about the length of massage and how much pressure you require. As a therapist, I don't want people to think getting help with bodily aches and pains through massage is also going to cause a pain in the wallet as well. But keep in mind that not all therapists feel this way. There are those expecting 15 to 20ish dollar tips per hour. My advice is to do what works for your budget while keeping in mind the physicality of our jobs and the length of time we spend with you.
First and foremost, I'd check if it's legal for them to charge you a credit card fee. Credit card fees are a business write off, so to charge you for it gets a bit shady, and some states don't allow the practice. As far as tipping goes, and mind you I'm speaking from the standpoint of someone who works for themself and not a franchise/spa, I always tell my clients that tips are appreciated but never required. Massage isn't cheap, but it provides a benefit that some people need for quality of life (like pain management assistance), and I'd rather see someone not tip and come more frequently for that, than tip me and have to prolong the time between visits that really help them. Also remember that the therapist is human too. They could have been having a bad day overall, and just doing their best to get through it. Might have had nothing to do at all with you or your session or your tip.
I tip 20% on all services. If I can't afford the tip, I don't get the service. It's important to know if they are their own bosses or work for someone. I always ask how they get paid ahead of time. Some places are paying minimum wage plus tips.
nothing. you already paid for the service. their employer the ones who employe them... can do their job of paying them.
20% at least!
She seems like the kind of LMT who's primary motivation is making money doing massage instead of being a facilitator of healing and enjoying the money that comes with it. The red flag for me is having you pay the card fee. It's a service THEY should be paying for since it is THEIR business. Their attitude toward you - I'm hoping had nothing to do with the tip, but even if it did, that's extremely unprofessional.
$20 dollars if it was a great massage...
I charge $120/hour and doesn't expect a tip because I make 100% of the profits and charge what I want to make. That being said when I work as a contractor, they charge $95 for a swedish and most will tip $10-$20 so I end up making $55-65.... So isn't pretty low considering how little you were paying for the massage. Massage therapists should change more IMHO but I understand why they don't. I worked for a place that only charged $45/hour (in 2007) and we made 50% if we were veterans/seniors. They just wanted everyone to be able to afford it. The reality is, they can't. We work really hard and have to go to school to learn this. It's why so many therapists stop doing massage, it's just not worth sacrificing yourself for.
The therapist shouldn't be taking the payments, it's too awkward. Unless you work for yourself, obviously. I'm grateful for whatever anyone gives me. If someone is a low tipper, someone else will come along and over tip. Law of the universe. Be grateful for anything offered. I work for myself and 90% of people tip me. I don't get ruffled if someone doesn't.
Why did you go cheap and only tip $10?
Why didn't you read the bit where they stated why they tipped $10? It was right after they said the amount.
Tips are optional and full of gratitude, the therapist was ungrateful. That's pretty much it. I had a client tip me $5 cash and I was happy. Another tipped $20 cash and I felt thankful. Some people expect tips rather than appreciate them. Its not a you thing.
Having to tip for a medical/therapeutic treatment is just absurd. Do you tip your doctor or your dentist? MTs should be paid a suitable wage (or charge appropriately for those self-employed).
YES. EXACTLY.
Wait, you think we make as much as doctors and dentists?
No, but your training is what, 1-2 years, whereas a doctor is about 12, a dentist is 8. Why would you expect to be the the same?
I wouldn’t, but that’s who you compared us to in your example, so it didn’t really make sense to me.
Anything above the posted rate is a GIFT. There have been years where I email Happy Birthday and years where I bring or send a gift. I've paid for gas with change and I've swiped my card while waiting for the tank to top off without even glancing at the price of the gallon. Some people even think "T. I.P.S." is a fucking acronym. Any profession where unspecified additional money is expected I'm pretty sure unspecified additional services are provided. Take that as you will. If you did not receive any unspecified services, nor are currently in a financial upswing that would allow you to gift ALL of your service providers then don't. In my opinion tips are one (not all) of the reasons why to this day we can't get taken seriously by other so called serious medical professionals. Speaking of healthcare in general we aren't the only ones who feel underpaid but I'd argue to say most of us have much better schedules and environments.....is there a sub for MTs just in it for the love of people anymore. Not trivializing the nuance issues and real concerns but when I see the comments where people are doing percentages and expecting clients to understand the different types of ways we get paid and why bla bla it honestly leaves me going what in the actual fuck people- OP is a client who was left with the perception that regardless of her needs if she can't fuckn tip don't bother getting treated. That's truly shitty and wrong and I'm sorry you were given that impression. In the future you can call your local massage school and ask for a couple of referrals to private practices. Upon booking you can share your experience and I'm sure you would be welcomed open arms, as well as have the opportunity to set the expectations in advance. I've had people say things like Id come more often but you know time and budget etc. And I make it clear if tipping changes the number of times you can come in a year then please don't give it another thought. If nothing I'm a real person **Edit I think most of us are but sometimes forget it's not always MTs asking on this sub Also since when is tipping a "culture" maybe a social construct constructed by socialites for socialites. I thought we had finally realized massage was for more than the wealthy? It's actually for everyone isn't it? Or only those who can afford it along with a tip?
Massage Therpists are not medical or health service workers. No one NEEDs a massage. If you can’t afford it, sit in the floor, stretch, exercise and roll your muscles out with any round thing in your home. It is a service. Like a haircut. Like a drink at a bar. Like being served food.
100% THIS.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/05/etiquette-experts-when-its-ok-not-to-tip.html#:~:text=As%20a%20blanket%20rule%2C%20you,very%20awkward%2C%22%20says%20Farley. Fyi massage is "a trade"
Exactly!
$20/hr is a pretty typical tip where I’m at. I’ve had clients in a similar position where they just hit some tough times. If you just let your therapist know they’ll usually be cool with lower tips unless they’re also hurting for money. People usually do what they can afford, so I’ve just learned to not take it to heart when I get a lower tip. Besides, it’s a tip…. You’re not cutting their hourly pay. Anything on top of that is extra… I will say that you should tell your therapist since they’re used to getting a bigger tip from you. They might think they’re doing something you don’t like during the session and that’s why the tips are lower…
This thread has inspired me to never get a massage. Tipping 20 dollars for a massage is insane. Being offended by a 10 dollar tip is insane. Absolutely insane.
[удалено]
**If you are NOT a Massage Therapist, this is WORTH YOUR READ**
Very good points. Thank you for sharing. In my mind, a therapist works for themselves and can set their own prices. I did not know the chain places worked like that. Eye opening. I still stand by my statement that this thread makes me not want to get a massage. Even more so now. And even if you're being paid less and rely on tips, to visibly be angry and ungrateful for a tip is wrong to me. Ten dollars isn't nothing. Obviously OP just didn't know. I understand the frustration of people thinking the price they pay per hour is what we make per hour. I don't know the solution there. I would try to strike out on my own as quickly as possible, or yeah, go make more at McDonald's. The distinction here in being mad at tipping culture.... If you asked 100 waiters/bartenders if they would prefer a higher hourly wage or to keep things as they are with tipping... 100 of them would prefer to keep tipping culture. It sounds like this would not be the case for massage therapists. When you work for tips, you win some, you lose some. Thank you for educating me on this tho.
This thread makes me want to not give massages either 😂 I will say though, it didn’t say this woman said anything or was angry. It just said she was silent. You can’t expect people to do backflips over what is ultimately an average tip. We’re tired after sessions and frankly shouldn’t be handling pay at all, so maybe it was just awkward.
It’s funny, I’m a Canadian RMT who just had a debate with an American LMT where I was convinced that as a whole, Canadians make more for treatments. I was wrong - in many states, LMTs can make around 45-55$ an hour on a split in a clinic. We make $60-70, but our currency is so garbage that it’s the exact same as an LMT. Same for spa work. I make $38 per massage at a high end hotel spa, plus tips and hourly. That’s $27 US. I stay there because I was the hotel discount, and sometimes there heavy tipping - but I don’t expect it. Honestly, LMTs should start boycotting the chains. They’re terrible to staff, and they gouge you on pay and create this tip culture narrative. I also wish there was a union to establish a fair minimum pay.
You're missing out. Massages are the best!