Good tip at a spa

[Argus1210]

Hello everyone,

 

If a massage at a spa is $90 - $100, what is a good tip for the masseur? What would they expect?

 

Thanks for your input.

[Rudynate]

I tip bodyworkers like servers in restaurants. On $100.000, I would tip $20.00, but I think $10.00 would be adequate. But my favorite guy, I tip more. On $160.00, I tip him $40.00.

[gallahadesquire]

I tip bodyworkers like servers in restaurants. On $100.000, I would tip $20.00, but I think $10.00 would be adequate. But my favorite guy, I tip more. On $160.00, I tip him $40.00.

 

Agreed. Would you REALLY only tip $10 on a $100 bill in a restaurant? C'mon.

 

In a spa, the masseur gets about 1/3 of the price you're paying the spa. And that's on a commission basis.

 

This is according to my housemate, who is a masseur at a fairly high-level spa.

[+ VeryHappyCustomer]

I tip $20 or 20%, whichever is more. And, like Rudynate, I give more to workers with whom I have an ongoing relationship.

 

But the things I tip most generously for are rare at spas: adding time or services (reflexology, body scrub, more time stretching, etc.). Spa workers and treatment rooms are tightly scheduled so the experience is pretty much predefined.

 

When possible, I tip cash directly to the therapist.

[Rudynate]

Agreed. Would you REALLY only tip $10 on a $100 bill in a restaurant? C'mon.

 

In a spa, the masseur gets about 1/3 of the price you're paying the spa. And that's on a commission basis.

 

This is according to my housemate, who is a masseur at a fairly high-level spa.

Agreed. Would you REALLY only tip $10 on a $100 bill in a restaurant? C'mon.

 

In a spa, the masseur gets about 1/3 of the price you're paying the spa. And that's on a commission basis.

 

This is according to my housemate, who is a masseur at a fairly high-level spa.

 

 

No, I didn't express myself clearly. The only time I would tip $10 on $100 in a restaurant would be if I was extremely unhappy with the service - if the server had completely blown it.

 

I think $10 on $100 to a bodyworker in a spa would be adequate because the bodyworker is going to receive a significant portion of the amount that I pay for the massage - probably %40 more or less. They aren't working just for tips. Note that I said $10 would be adequate, not "generous." To me "adequate" means you can walk away with a clean conscience and the bodyworker isn't thinking what a cheap bastard you were.

[Wolfer]

How different tipping mentality is in the US as opposed to Europe... Here almost no one would even think about tipping the masseur in a Spa. Nor any of the other service people there... I think it would even be thought of as odd by the masseurs themselves.

[Argus1210]

Thanks all for your input. It helps, especially knowing what the their commission is.

[Rudynate]

How different tipping mentality is in the US as opposed to Europe... Here almost no one would even think about tipping the masseur in a Spa. Nor any of the other service people there... I think it would even be thought of as odd by the masseurs themselves.

 

And it's fun for Americans traveling in Europe because they're not constantly reaching in their pocket to tip somebody who's held a door open for them or something. When I first lived in Europe, I was astounded to learn that you could get out of a restaurant having tipped the equivalent of $.10 or .15 US.

[bigvalboy]

I tip $20 or 20%, whichever is more.

When possible, I tip cash directly to the therapist.

Yes...20% and do it directly to the therapist, although after I get dressed, if the masseur is with another client, I have left the tip in an envelope at the reception area for the masseur with their name on it.

[gallahadesquire]

Again, my housemate / masseur says that 30-35% of billed amount goes to the therapist, and he's worked several places.

Some of the "less expensive" massage chains pay $20 per hour to the masseur, whilst billing $100 for a one-hour.

 

Again, he's on commission, and on his days that he only has one hour-long massage, he's hell to live with. $40+ tip for an eight-hour day.

[corndog]

It seems like the recent preponderance of asian massage places in strip malls may be an exception. They've often got signs promoting massage for $60/hour, but I've read some reviews on Yelp where customers were literally yelled at for tipping less than $40. I've avoided those places for many reasons, but deceptive pricing is definitely a factor.

[+ beethoven]

Bigvalboy writes that he leaves the tip in an envelope with the masseur's name on it at the reception desk. I know from experience in other lines of work that there's a very good chance that the masseur will never see that money.

If your masseur is with a client, you can still leave an envelope for him IN THE ROOM without disturbing the massage that is taking place. Just point to the envelope as you leave. Your masseur will probably appreciate that, because he will definitely get the money, and the other client will be aware that tipping is customary.

I would never trust any employee anywhere to deliver cash where you intended it to go. It often ends up in that employee's pocket, and your masseur will never know it.

[bigvalboy]

Bigvalboy writes that he leaves the tip in an envelope with the masseur's name on it at the reception desk. I know from experience in other lines of work that there's a very good chance that the masseur will never see that money.

If your masseur is with a client, you can still leave an envelope for him IN THE ROOM without disturbing the massage that is taking place. Just point to the envelope as you leave. Your masseur will probably appreciate that, because he will definitely get the money, and the other client will be aware that tipping is customary.

I would never trust any employee anywhere to deliver cash where you intended it to go. It often ends up in that employee's pocket, and your masseur will never know it.

 

I guess your experience has not been the same as mine, so your skepticism is certainly understandable, but the spa I dealt with was Burke Williams both in Sherman Oaks and West Hollywood, and on a few occasions in San Francisco. BW is a first class operation as far as I'm concerned. Each location I frequented on a fairly regular basis. On the first occasion, after the massage I had taken a steam, and by the time I had finished, the masseur was on his next appointment. Each massage is done in a private room, and you can not enter those rooms once a massage has started. I can't imagine entering a private room occupied by someone else when they are getting a massage, but then again, perhaps the difference in our experiences is the quality of the spa in which we frequent.

 

Since the masseur was already occupied, I asked the front desk, what was the best way to leave a tip? They suggested I could add the gratuity to my credit card or I could leave a gratuity of my choosing in an envelope with the masseurs name on it, and they would give it to him when he finished his appointment. I opted for the envelope. I usually hang out for an hour or so before and after the massage to use the facilities and carrying cash in my robe seemed awkward.

 

On the following visit, I asked the masseur if he had gotten my gratuity at the front desk, he not only got it, but suggested, that should I choose to leave a gratuity going forward, leaving it in an envelope at the front desk was done all the time, so I always did, and never had a problem. On a few occasions, I would add the gratuity to the credit card bill, but I prefer cash.