How much do you tip a massage therapist for a 60 minute massage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IF you think that your therapist is making a LOT of money....ask the front desk how much your therapist is being paid.
As a therapist at a spa and a clinic and a chiropractor I can tell you generally the rate of pay IS LOW!
And yet schooling runs $10,000-$15,000 or more and requires at least 6 months and ALSO requires therapists to pay for continuing education classes every year, carry their own liability insurance AND pay for their own state licensing every single year! Figure $400 per year just to practice!
Additionally due to repetitive stress to the hands, wrists and joints a therapist can't/won't usually work more than 25 hours a week MAX!
Expected career span for a LMT is ONLY SEVEN YEARS! Due to repetitive stress injuries.
Additionally therapists are paid ONLY for the time that they are giving massage. If I am there 8 hours but work only 90 minutes, I get paid for 90 minutes!
Chiropractors pay between $18 and $33 per hour. Typically no tips. So even $5 is nice. I've seen chiro's pay as little as $15/hr.
Envy/Heights/Elements (membership base clinics) pay $15-18 an hour. Will max at $20 but therapists rarely stay 5 years.
Spa's usually it's like between 30% and 50% of the charge. but 50% is RARE. Where I work 50 minute Swedish is $90 and I get paid $22.
Every therapist appreciates the gratuity. Some therapists are counting on it to pay the bills. But it is rare to be tipped through a chiropractic office or PT office.
Otherwise here is how I feel and see others feel about tips for a one hour session (50 minutes hands on)
Zero: Shameful. If you leave me nothing and come back again, don't expect my best work. Good work, but not my best.
That said: I have had a LOT of bad massages out there. Communicate what you want. If it is that bad still, don't tip.
$5: Wow. You better be in a tough spot. But I won't give you my best work next time. Thumbs are the first to go. And I won't give you my thumbs.
$10: acceptable but nothing special or inspiring.
$15: I know that you appreciate my work, my education and my commitment.
$20: You get my very best every time. I am committed to you and your health and well-being. I may give you extra time, better lotion or other little freebies to let you know you are appreciated.
More than that and you got the massage of a lifetime and you really do appreciate it.

Awesome post. What goes around comes around. That said, here are some guidelines to tipping your doctor:

Nothing: Disgraceful and disrespectful. If he prescribes you the wrong thing and you die, your family shouldn't even have the face to show up at the hospital to ask for compensation. Zero tip? Seriously? The man went to med school for your health and you stiff him?! You know that $100,000 operation fee goes entirely to the hospital (if he were an idiot, he may enter into such an agreement) and your doctor survives on tips, right?
10%: Damn, I hate poor people. If you can't afford to tip the doctor properly, you can't afford to come to the hospital! Try a vet next time. Let's get this over with...
15%: Ok, not too bad; this is when the doctor starts to actually think about how to get you better. Nothing special, no late-night trips to the med library or anything, but he'll start to function at this level.
20%: OK, now we're in in the cool-people-who-deserve-good-care section. This 20% tip on your $5,000 1-hour visit is how you show your doctor that you appreciate him putting in all those long hours and paying $50K tuition for 4 years in med school
25%: I will do my very best every time for you when you show up to nurse you back to health. Now, I am committed to you as a patient and may give you little freebies like antiseptic wipes, pill containers, a fridge magnet with our logo on it, etc...
But more importantly, if you tip well, you are investing in your health and a life-long relationship with a doctor committed to your well-being, and you will appreciate better health as the years add on!

So next time you go to the hospital, remember how you like to be tipped for a massage, and tip your doctor the accordingly. Same goes for your garbage collector, doorman, supermarket clerk, the police, security guards, floor sweepers, laundromat, etc...

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, massage therapists ARE considered service workers. They do not and cannot possibly, physically work 40 hours a week. 20 hours of "hands on" massage is considered to be FULL TIME in the industry. also, because of the high rates of injury and burn-out, the average length of time in the profession is only 7 years.

Because there is time for set up, scheduling, restocking, re-sanitizing, laundry, writing reports or notes, consultation, answering phone calls, emails, text messages, managing supplies, website and other promotional and marketing needs, follow up, waiting for clients to disrobe and to re-robe, shower, time in between clients to give a relaxed feel to each client etc. For all the previously stated requirements that go into a massage therapy appointment, a 60 hour massage requires MUCH more "work" time than 60 minutes.

Most massage therapists do not get sick time, vacation time, health insurance, retirement, 401k, or even minimum wage during time spent at the work place UNLESS they have a client. YES...that has become the usual rather than the rarity. Many places demand a therapist to be "on premises", "prepared to work', "waiting to work", doing "side work", cleaning the spa or facility or massage tools and organizing products and during those times many are not paid for ANY of that time spent on the job. Therefore, when a client walks in for a "60 minute massage", the therapist may have already put in several hours of work without getting a dime. It is only when the therapist has "hands on" that the therapist is paid. The few corporate establishments that "claim" to offer benefits to their therapists do so ONLY if that therapist reaches a minimum number of hours of "hands on" work. They may reach that minimum one day, but not the next and some establishments have a minimum number of "hands on" work done during a minimum amount of consecutive days. The type of language written in many of these employment contracts between employer and massage therapist are all over the map and if you want or need to work, you agree to anything and are grateful just to have a job.

As for the massage therapist that "pays rent" or a "commission", they have all the previously stated requirements AND the expense of EVERYTHING in the massage room and within their rented facility. Every sheet, every towel, every hot stone, every towel warmer, every essential oil, every container of massage lotion, every pen, every pencil, every candle, every hydrocollactor machine, every moist heating pad, every, roll of paper towel, toilet paper, every website hosting fee, every cell phone bill, every massage insurance, every association dues, every continuing education requirement. The expenses can be as high or as minimal based on what kind of products or facility the therapist chooses.

Therefore, all that being considered, a gratuity of 15-20% is the proper thing to do. The therapist that do NOT accept gratuities, make sure that their hourly rate is one that can sustain themselves and their business

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At a spa, 20%. For a therapeutic massage, nothing.

why nothing? that seems really wrong and rude? tip 20% every time.

[Anonymous]

So question. If you see a therapist who works for herself, do you still tip? I know you aren't supposed to, but I feel odd not doing it.

[Anonymous]

15-20%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15-20%

Even if the owner does it? Why?

[Anonymous]

I'm getting one at 25% off regular price today. Do I tip iof of original price listed or what I'm paying with the discount?

[Anonymous]

My daughter got me a massage for my birthday because I have back problems. I had one massage years ago that was arranged by a doctor's wife that I went to church with (because I was having a very bad back muscle spasms at the time.) She arranged it & paid for it; I recieved it gratefully, but I'm not really comfortable with massages as a whole, so I've never gone back. I did not tip because I had no idea it was expected. On the paper I got from my daughter, it said "gratuity not included" so I came on here to see what was an expected tip. After reading a bunch of the comments on here, I don't even want this stupid massage. I don't want to waste her money, but I don't even think I'll enjoy it now with all this nonsense going thru my head.

[Anonymous]

For an excellent deep tissue full body massage, I pay $120/hr & tip another $20.

[Anonymous]

Depends, um, on what extra services you get.

[Anonymous]

Guess intip well then. I give 20 got a 60 min and 25 for 90

[Anonymous]

I tip 20% except for the few times I've had a solo massage therapist who worked out of her house. Since everything went to her (she was the owner so to speak) I've always heard you don't tip in that case.

[Anonymous]

I say dont get a massage if you can't afford the tip. $20 of tip for a hr. massage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I say dont get a massage if you can't afford the tip. $20 of tip for a hr. massage

I say how much do you tip your doctor.

[Anonymous]

will this post ever die?