The one question I get asked all of the time besides, “You really wax men?” is “How much do I tip at a spa?” After careful thought, lots of internet research, and hours of community polling I can tell you that I honestly have no idea. Tipping is a very personal thing unless you are tipping a food server. They are different; they earn your tip and being generous with them (unless they are downright rude & awful) is only paving your road to Heaven.
Theories.
There is a school of thought that if the person who is doing your personal service is the owner of the spa or a booth renter that it is essentially their business, they get all of the money and so they should not get tipped. The oppositional thought is, “Well, they still have overhead so all of the money I’m giving them does not go to them so I should tip them.” I guess both thoughts are correct. What is boils down to for me is that if you want to tip me because you think I did a great job, I made you laugh, I did not rip off your skin or I’m just fun to be around then by all means that’s okay with me. BUT. . .if you don’t want to tip me because I do own this salon then that’s okay with me too. My goal here is not to get tips, it’s to get you to come back. THAT’S where I make my money. You can also tip me for being honest. It’s my greatest weakness. Sort of like my strive for perfection. Man, would I make a good interviewee or what?!
Things to consider.
No matter what spa/salon you are in – whether you are getting a Brazilian wax, massage, hair style, nails, etc., I think the thing to look at is what the person is charging and if they get all of that money. Do you think they are making a decent wage? Did they do a great job, and are you happy with your service? Based on those answers then do what is comfortable for you. Despite what you think we don’t sit around and say, “Oh lawd, here comes Petunia. . .you know, she never tips me.” We are typically just happy you come back.
As long as you’re nice. If you’re not nice, don’t come back.
Oh and there are a million+ people out there who wouldn’t agree with a word of this post. They say that you should tip no matter what. Whatever… that’s their thing. You do your thing and you won’t go wrong. It’s when people start trying to make their thing your thing that things get out of control. Nobody likes an out of control thing. Pun intended. Get it waxed. 😉
Do you.
Just do your thing and never have to ask “how much do I tip at a spa” again.
If you’re not happy with my answer and you really want a number, check out this article on how much to tip at a spa.
Smiles,
Jennifer