What's acceptable tipping standards...

[ets_bond_trader]

I work in Ontario, Canada where massage therapists are not allowed to accept tips under legislation. I'm curious as to what other therapists' expectations are when it comes to tipping.

Do you expect tips?

What's a reasonable amount or perceneforum.xxxe?

Is it 10%? 15%? 20%?

$5? $10 for an hour massage?

Curiously yours,

Eric

 

[Doctor Watson]

I expect the rate I charge for the session. If I get a tip I get a tip, but I never expect a tip. If you depend on tips, it usually means you should be charging more.

 

[Tressa Marie]

Dude, you can't accept tips?

I don't expect them and in fact discourage them - my rate is high enough to pay me well and I don't want to be comparing today's tip to last week's tip as an indication of how well I did - I get too wrapped up in that kind of thing.

 

[africbeauty69]

If you depend on tips, it usually means you should be charging more.

I think it's important to distinguish between sole proprietors like you and employees/IC's. Generally, IC's/employees count on tips, whereas sole proprietors don't.

 

[Ladybugs]

IMO, massage is expensive enough w/o having to tip, too. I am always pleased to get a tip, but never count on or encourage it.

BTW, I am an IC - can't speak for employees- and I am very happy with my pay for a session.

 

[Jeremiah]

As far as I know, there is no legislation in Ontario that says you cannot accept tips. The CMTO has no regulations that says tips cannot be accepted. As far as I know, it is the profession itself that discourages tipping, so that we can be seen as part of the health care system. The argument being, Dr's, nurses, dentists, chiro's, physios don't accept tips, therefore why do we. It is a way for massage therapists to be taken seriously, and not just people who should be in parlours.

You will not be brought up on professional misconduct charges if you accept tips. Spas accept tips all the time. I am curious as to where you got your information?

Sorry if this sounds harsh, I don't mean it to be, just want to clarify.

 

[nehkbet]

Do you expect tips?

Currently being a sole proprietor NO (but I do still receive them) - when working in the past at spa's, I didn't expect them, but received them often. I also often received tips while working for a DC.

What's a reasonable amount or perceneforum.xxxe?

If the person chooses to tip, I think whatever they tip is fine. Average at the spa was $10 for an hour massage and $5 for a half hour massage. Some clients tipped more while others didn't tip at all.
Working for myself now, I have told all clients they don't need to tip. Many still choose to do so.

 

[The Joker: Midnight Clown]

I have a firm 'no tipping' policy. I was uncomfortable accepting tips when I started my practice, so I just made a policy. :

Works well for me.

I have a colleague who routinely gets $10 or more tip on hour massages. She is the business owner, she charges as much as anyone around here, and still gets tipped very well. Interestingly, she has decided to take the tips and start a "scholarship" for massage on a case-by-case "need" basis. She works with people with cancer, and some of them need sessions but have no way to pay.

That's another tangent I guess.

 

[VanillaIce]

I work one shift a week for a chair massage company at an airport. There, my payrate is 40% of the charged fee ...and 100% of the tips. So, while I ALWAYS hated the idea of depending on tips, this particular job is essentially made worthwhile due to tipping. Not everyone tips, and the tips range from less than 10% to 40%, but it makes a huge difference in my paycheck. (And the paycheck contains only the non-cash tips on credit card sales!)

In my own office, where I collect 100% of everything, it's not a big deal if people don't tip. I prefer regular visits with no tip rather than sporadic appointments with a fat tip. I think the biggest tip I've gotten was $40 on a $60-session.

No, I take that back! This past week a regular client, who usually is very generous with tipping anyway ($20 on the $80-session), tried to pay me almost twice as much as the $80 session fee. (He didn't have as many big things as usual to work on so I had time for some good facial and scalp work--he said it felt like twice the massage as usual! I probably worked half as hard!) I told him it was way to much, and I applied the difference between his normal tip and this tip toward his next session.

I really think it's neat about Breathe's no tipping policy. When I first read her policy on some other post, I was toying with the idea of adopting it. But obviously I haven't. For one, I'm tickled with flattery and possibly greedy for the money. I'm still not at full capacity with my practice and it's an exciting game to see my income figures in my excel spreadsheet go up toward my monetary goal.

The other, slightly less greedy reason is...well, how do I explain it? It's related to the energetic exchange that happens in the payment transaction for a service. Paying is a way for clients to value the service, and tipping is an extention of that--a solid, tangible, and culturally custumary way to show gratitute. (Gratuity. Yup. This post is probably going to sound so silly when I read it when I'm fully awake!)

The girl who grooms my dogs felt guilty that she had to reschedule on me and refused to accept payment for her work, and wouldn't even let me tip her. My two poodles took a lot of her time and I really value her work and appreciate everything she does for me. I even invited her to come for a massage at least, so I'm giving her something of value, and she declined, saying that she does plan on coming to see me but she wants to pay me. Well, it's very kind of her, and it's not like I'm abundantly rich and appreciate having the extra money stay in my bank account, but it really opened my eyes from a clients' perspective. Not paying or tipping felt really strange and unfinished.

Okay, got way off subject. Bedtime for Sabrina!

 

[Wayne]

Interesting insights seebs. It's absolutely true. If the person is not able to pay you what they feel the session is worth, it makes them feel uncomfortable. They feel indebted. An excellent reason to make sure that fees are in line with clients' expectations.

Eric

 

[Deacon]

If the person is not able to pay you what they feel the session is worth, it makes them feel uncomfortable.
An excellent reason to make sure that fees are in line with clients' expectations.

I see the point in the above 2 posts, but another part of the reason I discourage tipping is because that can work the opposite direction too - it lets the client who wants to pay less also feel there is some room for negotiation. (Comes up less often, but still.) When the fee is firmly fixed, not only do my clients know there is no added obligation, they also know that the stated fee really is an obligation, not an option.


Seebs, that "exciting game" of watching the income go up (or down) is why I can't do tips - I'm too nervous a gambler! : I always admire those who can handle the tipping game - I just get too focused on what does it mean when a customary tipper *doesn't* tip - did I not do as good a job? Did they forget? Are they OK? Gah!

I'm also interested in the fact that it feels OK to you to accept a tip because it's a way for the client to energetically show gratitude, and obviously you would never tell a client a tip was too small, but then when a client tipped more than usual you took control of that energetic exchange and limited his expression (applying the difference to next appt, maybe assuming he'd have buyers' remorse?). How does that work?

Again, I have nothing against the tipping paradigm. For me it's just WAY too complicated.

 

[maisie]

I'm also interested in the fact that it feels OK to you to accept a tip because it's a way for the client to energetically show gratitude, and obviously you would never tell a client a tip was too small, but then when a client tipped more than usual you took control of that energetic exchange and limited his expression (applying the difference to next appt, maybe assuming he'd have buyers' remorse?). How does that work?

Yeah, I there's definitely a discrepency. I just couldn't do it. Worried about buyer's remorse, yeah, that's a good way to describe it. If I were to think more about it maybe I'd've decided to follow the advice to quietly and humbly accept what's offered. But it was a snap decision and I just couldn't accept that much.

As for the number game, I don't think it's gambling. Gambling would be basing future income on tips and making purchasing/budget decisions based on the tip amount.

...but I still think it's neat and respect the no tipping policy of those who have it!

 

[gultin]

As far as the client feeling uncomfortable when I refuse a tip, (which doesn't happen often because it's written on the website and there's a very nice sign in the room by the exit door,) I can count on one hand the number of times in 2 years that people have acted strange about not tipping. I'm usually pretty good at settling that down. I had one girl last week who came in on a gift certificate and wanted to tip, she acted a little odd when I said no-thanks. It's okay though. I got paid, she got a massage.

 

[Corky]

As far as tipping goes, it would depend on what setting you are getting the massage in. Most independent, self-employed practitioners probably don't expect or even accept tips. Most therapists working in a PT or chiropractor office don't expect tips. Most therapists working as an employee in a spa setting probably expect tips on every service. Where I work as an employee, which is a massage clinic (we do everything from therapeutic modalities to relaxation to wraps) we get tipped probably about 60-70% of the time.

Most people who do tip, tip anywhere from a few dollars to $20 or more. It's just a very individual thing. When clients ask us about tipping, we tell them that they are never expected but always appreciated.

Angie

 

[ledzepfan203]

I am an IC. Currently, I accept tips, but do not expect them. Some people tip, some people do not, but since I set my fees and get 100% of what I make, I don't mind if they don't, but still appreciate tips because I am a poor! I know one of my clients tips well and thinks I deserve more than what I charge; she makes a LOT of money, so I don't feel like I need to feel bad over it. Others that don't have a lot of excess income usually don't tip, and that's absolutely fine with me.

 

[britt_bratt_rulz]

I have been working in the salon/spa field for most of the nearly 10 years that I've been a MT, most of it as an IC. Therefore, a client giving a tip has been quite common. I found when I worked at the salon, whether I was tipped or not often depended on whether the client was referred to me by a chiro (through my own efforts - therefore viewed as health care)... or via the salon's ads (therefore viewed as a luxury/service). There were times when I got $20 tips and times when I got nothing.
I work in a new spa as an employee now... and have had clients who tipped nothing, and I sometimes wonder what I did wrong. *shrug* I would say that most of my tips are $10-$15. I would say that on average tips are usually about 10-12 percent... though I do have some who tip much better than that. A 20 percent tip is a pleasant surprise.
(I do live in a tourist area, so have to admit the better tips tend to come from people who are from "the city."

 

[Benjamin!]

Since most of what I do is outcall work I find that tipping kind of goes with the territory. If I lug all my stuff up to someone's house and spend extra time working on them I don't think or act as if I deserve it but I know that it makes them feel good to do it so I accept with gratitude. But at the same time if they don't tip I don't feel offended. I have often been amazed at how generous some people are. I have to admit sometimes I too feel like I don't deserve such largesse. But there are several nice people I slide my scale down for so that they can get regular work so in the end it all comes out in the wash.

 

[mazy_bird]

Great new client last week, very candid, said that she usually tips at a salon, but not with an independent MT. She then asked what I thought of tips, while she clutched her purse somewhat nervously.

I replyed honestly: "I'd rather have a referral than a tip, thank you!" I charge what I think is fair, my overhead is low, etc. Besides, a quality referral could bring in much more income than a tip may ever add up to.

 

[Chelcie]

Besides, a quality referral could bring in much more income than a tip may ever add up to.

Great response! I agree and because you said that you will no doubt get some great referrals from her. Either way I'm cool with both! People who tip you generously often refer you as well. It's win-win.

 

[Nancy U]

I work in a spa and do work independently. It seems like in the spa the usual tip for an hour massage is $20 to $25 which is just over 20%. Independently it's less. I don't expect tips, but appreciate them. I don't know who decided the appropriate amount to tip, but have seen a list of what one should tip. It listed everything from hairstylists to bellhops.