Massage Therapists

[jamesglewisf]

I got this question via email:

I have a tipping question. I have been getting massages from a wellness center for a few weeks. The massages have been prescribed by my doctor and are not the ooey gooey feel good massages that everyone enjoys receiving. I've been driving 30 min. one-way once a week and the owner of the center has been performing my massages. My parents taught me that you never tip the owner of an establishment, that it's actually poor form. Additionally, I assumed the practitioner wouldn't expect a tip since it's a prescribed procedure. A couple of weeks ago, as I was paying with my debit card, the receptionist looked at my signed receipt a little too long and I could tell there was some frustration at my not tipping. I explained that I didn't include a tip because the practioner was the owner and she got very nervous and snappy and said, "Well, I think that's only in restaurants" and just stared at me. It was a very uncomfortable moment and luckily the phone rang and I was able to walk out without explaining myself further. Then yesterday, the practitioner herself processed my payment. Once again, I didn't include a tip and as she took my signed receipt, without looking at me or saying anything, she just frowned and shook her head. Both of these incidents have made me very concerned about their level of professionalism, although my sessions have been nothing less than comfortable and professional and I actually have a very good rapport with the practitioner. I don't like having anxiety about going to a wellness center and can't change practitioners for a couple of reasons. I obviously need to have a conversation with them about this. What do you think? Thank you for your help.

[jamesglewisf]

Here was my answer:

There's not really a good answer.

The general rule with a hair or nail salon is that you tip whomever provides the service, whether it is the owner or not. I worked at a restaurant for about five years when I was a teenager. It was owned by the cook and the head waitress. She always got tipped. She was providing the service. If you would tip a massage therapist who is not the owner, I would think that you would tip a massage therapist who is the owner.

All of that said, if the massage therapist gets the entire fee, then I wouldn't tip because they can set the fee at whatever they want. Usually at a wellness center, this is not the case. The wellness center gets some percentage of the fee, and the therapist gets the rest.

I did a little extra research on the web, and most massage sites that mentioned owners and tipping said that you should tip whomever provided the service. Other sites didn't distinguish between the two. I actually read one article http://spas.about.com/library/weekly/aa050601.htm that said,

It's an interesting article because it explains a little about how people at wellness centers are compensated.

I've been to hotels where there is no tipping. They state that clearly when you check in. The employees are compensated well to make up for it. They were not inexpensive hotels, however. It sure takes a lot of stress out of the situation and removes the concern over whether or not you have enough one dollar bills for tipping each day.

The best thing to do is talk to the owner. She is not going to be offended that you ask. Just explain that you get conflicting advice and want to do what is appropriate.

Let me caution you about one thing. Sometimes we see other people's expressions and make assumptions about what they are thinking. They might just have a bad case of gas or be thinking about something someone said on the phone earlier. If you are feeling uncomfortable about a situation, you are likely to read more into a facial expression than is actually there. It is better to have a conversation and talk about things than to make assumptions.

Here's another interesting article about Spa Employee Compensation: http://spas.about.com/library/weekly/aa030301.htm

Tell me how things turn out.

[s_ranke]

My dad is a massage therapist. Tip if you want to don't if you don't. If you are going to a private practice then I would recommend not tipping the owner unless you want to. However w/ this enlightened bunch often times the private owner doesn't charge much for the leased room to other therapists...so you may not want to over tip. If you go to a club (public or ecspecially private) then your therapist is probably making about 1/3 of what the club charged for the massage. They've already figured in room+laundry+time plus remember many of these people are being 1099ed. Also remember that this is your massage therapist, you can't possibly imagine having a physical relationship w/ them w/o being able to get past a small conversation. Peace, Stephen

[michaelfrankie]

Okay, some good points been brought up but tipping your massage therapist remains a confusing subject for most people. Let me start out by saying that I am a massage therapist in the Chicago area. I’ve lectured courses on business practices for massage therapists and I’ve contributed to a textbook about massage therapy business practices. One of the reasons that tipping a massage therapist is so confusing, is that the practice of massage can mean so many different things, ie: spa/relaxation versus clinical or sports or pre-natal or infant or injury recovery or energy work, etc, etc, etc… It can also take place in many different settings, ie: home, office, spa, athletic club, cruise ship, hotel, doctor’s office, etc.

In your decision whether or not to tip, first consider your primary reason for receiving a massage. If it is more of a relaxation-stress relief experience you might want to consider the same tipping rules that apply to other personal services such as hair styling or spa services. If the massage is more clinical in nature, tipping may not be expected or even desired. Some therapists who work with referrals from doctors, dentists, physical therapists, occupational therapists etc. consider themselves on par with those professions and as such have a “no tipping” policy.

Next, consider the setting that you are receiving the massage. Take note that therapists working for someone else ie: spa, club or multi-practitioner massage office are not taking home anything close to what you are actually paying at the front desk. If they work as an independent contractor, a cut is typically taken by the house. In many high-end (read high priced) spas, the therapist actually makes a relatively small percentage of the take, and similar to food servers, relies on tips to make up the difference. In contrast, therapists working in doctor’s offices sometimes receive tips but generally they are not as large or as regular as in the spa setting.

My experience with the clinical setting indicates that tips are usually welcome but not expected. Regarding the amount to tip, there are no hard fast rules to follow but I would generally consider $5 an acceptable minimum. The particular setting and price paid has perhaps more to do with the amount. The $2 tip mentioned earlier could be viewed as insulting in a high end spa (like giving a waiter $0.01). In my own experience, I’ve received everything from a few bucks to $60 as a tip. Really anything, if given sincerely, is generally appreciated. Colleagues of mine have even received non-cash items including everything from concert tickets to a brand new bicycle!

As for my massage practice, I tend to handle more clinical cases. I see clients in a commercial office setting in which I am the sole owner and practitioner. Even as the owner and at $70/hour, after overhead and taxes, I’m not getting rich at this job. Nonetheless, I love my work and I love working on my own. Although I see mostly repeat customers, tippers in my practice tend to be the minority with $5-10 being the norm for most people.

When asked, I make it clear that tips are not expected as part of their treatment. If you ever wonder about tipping your therapist, just ask them. Most therapists understand that this can be a confusing issue and will help explain what the norm is for their particular setting. If you’re uncomfortable about asking and feel that you would like to tip, use $10 as your base and go from there as you like. If you are really pleased and want to do something special, $20 will generally do a nice job of conveying your feelings. If you are a regular client, an extra holiday bonus is always a nice gesture.

[CameronLMT]

I am Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and a Licensed Massage Therapist. I work in a spa setting, and also for a mobile massage group. I have a very wide variety of clients, and in all income brackets.

The spa in which I work pays me a split of every massage, so like Michael said, I don't get what you're paying at the desk. A good tip is anything in the $20 range, and a typical tip is $10-$15 depending on the type of massage I've given.

There's no need for confusion on this issue. All it takes is a little client/therapist communication if there is any question. Trust me, as a therapist, I would MUCH rather discuss it with you than have you dread the end of the session or dread coming at all. The point is to put you on the road to wellness, and adding stress is counteractive to that.

If you have any question, ask your therapist. However, a good rule of thumb is anywhere in the $10-$20 range depending on how good and productive (to whatever end the massage was directed, be it rehabilitative or simply for stress relief) the massage was.

-Cameron, NCTMB, LMT

[jamesglewisf]

The tip for a massage therapist is based upon the amount of the service. You tip 10-15%. If the massage costs $25, you wouldn't tip $20. Tip a percentage, not a fixed amount.

[Justawoman]

I liked what Micheal posted.

[CameronLMT]

Originally Posted by jamesglewisf

The tip for a massage therapist is based upon the amount of the service. You tip 10-15%. If the massage costs $25, you wouldn't tip $20. Tip a percentage, not a fixed amount.

That would be a more valid point if you could get a full-hour professional massage for that much. But you probably won't. The only place you can get one that cheap is at a school by students, and then you can't tip them because they aren't licensed.

MOST (key word there) spas and such in MOST areas run between $50-$80. I'm not talking about high-end resorts and things of that nature where you're being charged upwards of $100 or more. For general purposes, $10-$20 will be fair. I did not mean to imply that this was "fixed." It's just a rule of thumb.

And 10-15% is low. It should be closer to 15-25%.

[jamesglewisf]

You don't tip any profession 25%. That's ridiculous. 20% is always the max. You can tip more, but that has never been part of a guideline I've seen anywhere for any profession.

When you give tipping recommendations for your own profession that are much higher than any other recommendations given anywhere, it makes your recommendations look suspicious and possibly self-serving.

[jamesglewisf]

BTW, you don't tip students because only licensed massage therapists are supposed to receive any form of compensation for giving a massage.

[RMT4Life]

As a massage therapist, I have some mixed feelings when it comes to tipping.

First, is the massage therapits your going to operating their own business (100% of profits go to them) or are they working for a company, massage franchaise or something of the sort? If the therapist works for themself then tipping should be optional because at the end of the day all monies go to them anyway. They are able to set their price and adjust them accordingly.

However, if the massage therapist works for a spa, hotel, studio or massage franchaise; please be kind enough to tip them! What most people fail to realize is that these people do not set their own rates and rarley do not make an hourly wage. If there are no clients then these people have no income. You may say, "Well, that's not my fault!" Which is true but you do like to attend theses places and expect your services to be provided. In addition, these therapists also don't have to waste their time with someone who has little to no respecet for them and the services they are trying to offer as compared to someone who is kind enough to appreciate their time, talents and services.

Massage therapists are not the same as servers and are not on the same level as servers. To be a massage therapist requires going to a massage school of some sort, successfully passing a state board and keeping your license and skills updated. How many serves have to pass a state board and keep their skills updated? None. A massage therapits does not have the same kind of advantages as servers. A massage therapits can not run 10 massage tables at one time every hours. So basing tips along the same system is ridiculous. If you're only paying $20-25 for a massage; you need to be asking why or know why? This is a rate for most massage schools. Student don't get tipped. Tipping students is against most state laws. An general tip is anything above $10. If you really like the serviesl then $15-$20 is generally gratuity. Leaving a tip below $10 for an hour massage; maybe you need to find a new therapist.

In short, people will tip whatever they want regardless of what other people tell them.

[jamesglewisf]

No offense, but giving a tip amount but not stating how much the service costs is ridiculous. What if it was a $600 massage? Should you still tip $20? That's 3.33%.

You tip a percentage, not a flat amount.

[jmpage2]

I'm glad to have found this thread, as I was also shocked about the mysteries of tipping a massage therapist. My question came about when I had been going to massage therapy at my chiropractors. Since this was in a "medical" setting, the thought of tipping never even occurred to me. Imagine my shock when one day after going to the practice for months I see a patient giving a tip to his therapist. I asked her about it and she said about 1/2 of the clients do tip, a tip is very nice, who doesn't like to make some extra money?

The thing that concerns me the most is that as others have pointed out, massage therapists require licenses, certifications, etc, to do their work.

While I can see the point of tipping a therapist in a "spa" setting, I totally do not understand why one would expect a gratuity of any kind in a clinical setting, where the work being performed is for treatment of an injury or chronic discomfort.

I mean, really, do you tip your nurse for doing a good job giving you an injection or taking your blood pressure? If not then why would you tip a massage therapist in a clinical setting who is performing a professional service that is of a medical nature?

I'm also rather irked with this idea that if you do tip for a massage, it should be "about $20". Who made that rule up? If a massage therapist made $20 on every massage they did they would make more money than I do (and I'm a professional engineer).

Maybe chiropractors and other health professionals who employ massage therapy should just pay their therapists better and have a nice open "no tipping" policy stated.

[jamesglewisf]

I agree -- don't tip in a medical setting.

I also agree -- if you do tip, don't tip a flat amount. Tip a percentage.

[jeff0008]

James, I think you can provide information on this board without being abusive and inconsiderate of others, whose views may not mesh 100 percent with yours. While I think most people tip 20 percent as a max, I have found that the range does tend to vary geographically within the U.S. I have lived in large metropolitan areas, medium sized cities, and in rural areas, on the east coast, west coast, and the midwest. My experience has been that tipping ranges often vary by location.

Speaking generally (not just about massage), 10 percent would be my minimum in some places and 15 percent in others. Similarly, while 20 percent is generally my max, I (and many others I know) do tip as much as 25 percent for exceptional service but usually only when I'm in large cities, such as New York, Boston or San Francisco. Tipping 25 percent, in my mind, is not ridiculous, and tells the person, "Thank you for going above and beyond my expectations for this particular service." Also, I'm one of those people who gets my hair cut at one of those inexpensive, chain haircut places, which costs me $15. While I see many people tip $2, which is fine, I personally would never tip below $5, and I have witnessed many people, who were in such salons at the same time as I, who have tipped the same, so there's an example of a 33 percent tip.

I think that as a general rule, 10 to 20 percent is the range used by most people for most services. However, tipping ranges are suggested guidelines and never set in stone, which is the opinion you expressed in your post by saying that 20 percent is ALWAYS the maximum. I, for one, do not agree, and for the record, I've never worked in a job where I received a tip, so this is not a self-serving comment.

Originally Posted by jamesglewisf

You don't tip any profession 25%. That's ridiculous. 20% is always the max. You can tip more, but that has never been part of a guideline I've seen anywhere for any profession.

When you give tipping recommendations for your own profession that are much higher than any other recommendations given anywhere, it makes your recommendations look suspicious and possibly self-serving.