Anonymous wrote:Hello, massage therapist and business owner here! The general rule for tipping is 10-20%, depending on the quality of service. Etiquette says that you do not have to tip the business owner since they are receiving all monies for the service. The type of service or how much the massage therapist makes should not really matter here, only the quality of service and what you deem appropriate.
What if the massage therapist is basically self-employed/independent contractor? i.e., they do not work at a spa, but just rent space somewhere. I always have tipped but, frankly, I keep wondering if it's really necessary under those circumstances. (for example, I have gone to someone who uses a room in a tanning salon. I schedule directly with her and there's no other massage therapists there - I assume she just pays rent for the space and that's it.)