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

[Anonymous]

I tip $5 for a $25 reflexology (60 min) treatment at China Happy Feet. Owner/Manager (presumably) told me today that I need to tip more if I request a certain person. I gave tip directly to person who did massage. Is this questionable???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tip $5 for a $25 reflexology (60 min) treatment at China Happy Feet. Owner/Manager (presumably) told me today that I need to tip more if I request a certain person. I gave tip directly to person who did massage. Is this questionable???

You don't HAVE to tip anything....so sick of this tipping culture, I'd tell the owner to suck it. I can't believe he confronted you about how much you tipped.

[Anonymous]

Why is this thread still going around????

[Anonymous]

I don't get massages very often, but am getting one next week - at 20% off. A 20% tip means basically just paying the list price. For a massage that's otherwise great without any complaints, that's perfectly fine etiquette, yes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this thread still going around????

Because people still receive massages and tip their masseuse, I'm guessing. Did I clear that up for you? Some people are so silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get massages very often, but am getting one next week - at 20% off. A 20% tip means basically just paying the list price. For a massage that's otherwise great without any complaints, that's perfectly fine etiquette, yes?

Yes, 20% is plenty.

[Anonymous]

You tip 20%, no matter what. And if you have any sort of discount, you tip 20% of the original price. Anyone who doesn't do this is an absolute jerk and cannot afford a massage so they shouldn't be getting one in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Didn't have time to read the whole thread but did read many pages of it. To the massage workers, please know that a low tip does not mean I wasn't happy with your service. I'm retired. I'm trying to live on just $800 monthly social security. I tip $10 for an hour massage, which when I was working was my hourly pay. (My kids gave me the membership) Some comments suggest I should get a crappy massage because I can't afford to tip more. Really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tip $5 for a $25 reflexology (60 min) treatment at China Happy Feet. Owner/Manager (presumably) told me today that I need to tip more if I request a certain person. I gave tip directly to person who did massage. Is this questionable???

I always tip $10 at those places because the workers are paid so low. Yes, $5 is 20%, but it's 20% on literally slave wages.

[Anonymous]

As a Massage Therapist I can tell you that most of my clients too according to how enjoyable or how much the massage helped them get out of pain.. Also I'm not trying to put anyone down but we do not like to be referred to as a masseuse. For us we would prefer massage therapist or an LMT..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this thread still going around????

Because we are on the internet, where nothing gets erased.
Because this is a topic that is still applicable today. We are in America. We tip.
Because people are still interested in knowing what other people tip a massage therapist for a 60 minute massage.

[Anonymous]

Tip amount for massage therapist:
Why is the tip amount a percentage??? I've had amazing massages that cost $60, and the worst massage of my life cost $220 at the Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach. Based on what everyone says, the first therapist deserved a $12 tip, and the second therapist deserved a $44 tip! I think $20 should be considered a good tip for a good 50 min. massage across the board.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the extras.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an RN now however I have worked in the service industry in the past as a waitress. In the US you get to choose your career. I get paid an hourly wage and must pay my bills, my daughter's college, vacations, and anything else that comes up. I budget my money to make it work. Some pay days are shorter than others because I haven't put in any overtime. At no point in my day between bathing a patient, cleaning up vomit or poop, or being a therapist for family situations do I expect to get a tip. I have to maintain certifications and buy supplies as well but I CHOSE this career. I do think that tipping is out of hand. I tip waitresses well (when deserved) because I know they don't make much an hour. As a masseuse you can work as little or as much as you wish just like a nurse.

I'm a RN as well. As I was reading this I thought the same thing. I clean up vomit, poop, blood, amniotic fluid etc. I miss meals, skip sleep break, miss holidays, work nights and i am on my feet for 12 hours. I choose this career, I love it, and I love taking care of people. Sometimes patients will drop by a thank you card or a box of chocolates but never in my ten years of hard work has it ever occurred to me that I should be getting a tip as a medical professional. Trust me, my hands, back, feet, everything is sore as well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you pay $90 for a 60 minute massage, you're paying for the massage to be a good one, not half assed and if it is good, which is what you're paying to get, you tip anyway. Tipping is out of control. TIP stands for "To Ensure Prompt Service", not to get quality work/services or the alrady high price you're paying for the service, regardless if the person is the owner or not. I'll tip if they go over the hour, if they provide something more than the basic service I'm paying for. How many of you get a tip from you work for going exactly what you're suppopse to do and yeah, wee're all working to make the other guy rich and we're not seeing "tips".

If that's what "Tip" stands for then why aren't we leaving a "TEP"? Lol


These are services. It's not the same as getting paid an hourly rate to flip burgers or to do data entry etc...
I have a DJ business. It's not a 40 hour per week job. It's a service that I provide on weekends. The pay scale doesn't work the same way.
I agree that paying a dollar a minute was a ridiculous response... Besides no one else was talking about "the Asian place" where you get a 15 minute massage. But just as waitresses do, service providers rely on tips to compensate for the irregular scheduling ... Their hourly rate doesn't cut it.