Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that most massage therapist only work 25-30 hours due to the more intense job we have. I for one ALWAYS tip $20 for an hour. We as therapist touch your body, even glutes, sometimes after a client has worked out without bathing, or sun tanned without bathing, you sweat during massage, etc. You think that's necessary to complain about tipping when a therapist who works at Massage Envy is only making $16 an hour, again, only working 25 hours a week. I use my tip money to feed my family and put gas in my car because my entire paycheck goes to my bills. Or for therapists who rent their own room, they have linens to clean, lotions to buy, again, etc...the money you pay for the actual massage goes to the rent, insurance and continuing education classes we have to take to stay licensed. You people need to come down off your high horse 'oh I don't get tipped for my job' and realize the real situation. I'm sorry I don't sit at a desk for 40 hours, I bust my ass for my money.

I've worked over 300 hours a month for 4 months straight as a satellite tech, carrying ladders, equipment, walking on houses, crawling under them.. in extreme pacific northwest winter rain/wind for less than $16 an hour. I did get tipped maybe once or twice a week, out of 30 or more homes I'd do. I never looked for it, and I had the best customer survey scores out of our office so it wasn't due to a poor job.

[snip]

Anyone who is or isn't in the industry could speculate on the things you would have to do. Dirty bodies, sweat, etc. is a given. Why should you be paid more because you have to 'handle' that? I can crawl under homes with hobo spiders and dead animals, among other things..in a 18" crawl space in the dark...some guys cant. I don't insist I get paid extra.. and neither do the guys who cant.

I don't care about sweat and glutes just like I don't care about spiders and animals.

But what I care about is professional and hourly. I calculated the rate and a typical week is about $13 an hour. There are many weeks I am not at that. Like the first person said. We are not at our desk 40 hours a week. Yes, a bunch of time is spent doing nothing. But for every hour of massage, there is cleanup, marketing, paperwork, etc. Most therapists pay 100% of there own insurance, 100% of there taxes (they are not employees)

I can't compare how many hours you are doing per home. 30 per week or two, or per month
per week, thats 2.5 hours per home (including travel time) so, what 60-90 minutes on the roof... that's the same $40/hour a massage therapist makes in an hour massage, only do you get insurance? Are you an employee where the employer pays there hidden half of the taxes. I'm guessing you are in your own vehicle?
If its 30 homes every "or two" weeks that's $80 for every home (60-90 minutes?)
and if that's 30 homes every month, you're at 160, but I am guessing you're closer to 40 or 80 dollars per home?

do you pay $250-500 a year for education, and another $75-150 a year for a license. -- That's like one weeks pay at $16/hour, but I'm getting closer to $13.

Typical ranges

"A self employed massage therapist salary is typically higher than the person who works for another company. The average hourly earning is around $42 per according to 2010 statistics. While on the other hand, the median hourly wages of massage therapists employed by a company, including gratuities, were $16.78 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $11.36 and $25.14. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.01, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $33.47. Yearly massage therapist salary earnings can vary a lot because many therapists only work part time. Typically, massage therapists earn some portion of their income as gratuities. For those who work in a hospital or other clinical setting, however, tipping is not common. As is typical for most workers who are self-employed and work part time, few benefits are provided. In conclusion, you really can’t say it’s a salary, but rather the massage therapists’ hourly rate instead. Hourly rates have been reported in the $14.00 – $21.00 range if employed through a health club or spa. This does not include the reported $3.00 – $10.00 hourly tips given to the massage therapist by their patients"
http://massagetherapistsalaryguide.com/

I am a massage therapist, and I truly like the person that reminded us that a good massage therapist will not do more than 20 hours of massage in a week, and may not always be at full capacity due to scheduling issues. (A lot of clients tend to want massages around the same times. i.e. after work or on weekends. -- This means no leisure time for the therapist)

Another question I saw come up. Owner vs employee. First, rarely are massage therapists employees. Spas use loopholes to get out of paying taxes on the therapists. Second, as an owner, one of two things happens. They either pay a spot price for the room where they may pay about 50% the cost of the massage to the facility. Or they rent at a flat rate if they are paying a flat rate, they do not have the benefit of a dozen employees paying for the overhead from rent to marketing to other expenses.

-- Please note that while a self employed therapist sets there own rates, they really would like to keep prices affordable, and frequently, tipping becomes the sliding scale, and by not tipping, you may force the rates higher for all if not tipping becomes the norm.

To give a monetary figure is a fluctuating price point as inflation changes the percentage changes, and the amount eventually should change.

A typical tip is $5-35, and may be generally $10 more for a ninety minute massage.
That rate is 15-35% I'd say 80% fall in that range. Half of all clients pay 20-25%

I use square for my credit card processing, and give 3 default suggestions and the option for a custom amount. 15-20-25%, and most people choose 25%. Most being at least 8 of 10 people.

People like round numbers. Back when I was charging $65 I was getting $80 almost every time. When the recession hit back in 2008, tips went down. Suddenly I lost a few dollars an hour. I would rather work less, and it forced me to raise my rates to $75. The overall number of hours of massage I was doing didn't change much. Some clients left some new ones filled there spots. I continued to get about $80 for each hour massage, and occasionally $100. As the prices stabilized, $100 has become more typical.

As for a ninety minute massage, I typically get $120 or $140 for the session after tip.

I stopped advertising a full hour massage years ago. Because I work at so many facilities that don't do full hours it was easier to pace myself on a more typical setup. (Spas and Medical offices typically do clinical hours. . . with some not even getting 50 minutes of work) Plus, some people are so much work, that 50 minutes of super deep work is the same as an hour on an easy person. If you have a lot of issues, and are getting spa prices, while you may not get the fluf, consider giving more for the medical aspect.

Medical massage. Remember that medical massages are often flat rate, but higher priced. If you are not paying medical prices, keep that in mind.
While actual prices vary, and are actually charged or paid at discounted rates, these are typical 100% insurance billed rates... you can select your price adjusted area:

Search codes 27124 (Swedish/spa style massage) and 97140 (deep tissue, trigger point therapy, medical grade massage)
In my area, the deep tissue is about 30 for every 15 minutes, after a 20% discount, thats about $95 for a 58-62 minute massage at a medical facility or $70 for a 43-47 minute massage

https://www.cms.gov/apps/physician-fee-schedule/license-agreement.aspx
https://ocm.ama-assn.org/OCM/CPTRelativeValueSearch.do?submitbutton=accept

Think about it, it's like receiving any service, a haircut, manicure, pedicure, dining out, someone provided you with a "service". The normal tipping percentage is 20%.


Unanimous

I tipped $20 for a 60 min therapeutic massage. The MT has office in her house. Very relaxing and private. It was wonderful!!

If they massage my feet a long time, I give extra. Anyone who touches feet deserves extra

Wow. I'm glad I stumbled upon this forum. I'm so embarrassed that I've been undertipping in the past. I'm at a point financially where I can comfortably tip much more and from now on when I receive top notch service, not only will i express my gratitude- a $20 will be included every time.

$25 tip for $50 1hr massage and $35 tip for 90 min massage in USA (Asian Spa in strip mall setting) - I'm a pretty decent tipper, for good service

Massaging gluteals is part of what you signed up for when you became a massage therapist, correct? Much like a nurse has to change bed pans, diapers, administer enemas, and place Foley catheters. Nurses don't get tipped for these services...

I don't understand why a tip is expected at all. I just paid 80$ for a 60 minute massage. Even if the massage therapist only gets half of that after the owner takes their cut- that's more money per hour than I make as a nurse practitioner with my doctorates degree. I don't ask my patients to tip me... although I went to school over 30 years of my life, have extensive student loans to pay back, and oh... I'm saving lives.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that most massage therapist only work 25-30 hours due to the more intense job we have. I for one ALWAYS tip $20 for an hour. We as therapist touch your body, even glutes, sometimes after a client has worked out without bathing, or sun tanned without bathing, you sweat during massage, etc. You think that's necessary to complain about tipping when a therapist who works at Massage Envy is only making $16 an hour, again, only working 25 hours a week. I use my tip money to feed my family and put gas in my car because my entire paycheck goes to my bills. Or for therapists who rent their own room, they have linens to clean, lotions to buy, again, etc...the money you pay for the actual massage goes to the rent, insurance and continuing education classes we have to take to stay licensed. You people need to come down off your high horse 'oh I don't get tipped for my job' and realize the real situation. I'm sorry I don't sit at a desk for 40 hours, I bust my ass for my money.

I've worked over 300 hours a month for 4 months straight as a satellite tech, carrying ladders, equipment, walking on houses, crawling under them.. in extreme pacific northwest winter rain/wind for less than $16 an hour. I did get tipped maybe once or twice a week, out of 30 or more homes I'd do. I never looked for it, and I had the best customer survey scores out of our office so it wasn't due to a poor job.


I detail all this, because this was work i 'chose' to do. I do not imagine anyone forced you to be a massage therapist? I think it is you who are on some sort of 'high horse.'

Anyone who is or isn't in the industry could speculate on the things you would have to do. Dirty bodies, sweat, etc. is a given. Why should you be paid more because you have to 'handle' that? I can crawl under homes with hobo spiders and dead animals, among other things..in a 18" crawl space in the dark...some guys cant. I don't insist I get paid extra.. and neither do the guys who cant.

Realize you are your own limit, and if you aren't happy with the industry average for pay, find a new industry.

AMEN. this is very true. you CHOSE your job. everyone gets paid to do their job. a tip is a reward not an earning.

If you don't want to tip, don't go to a spa. In the US it is customary to tip massage therapists and other service providers when visiting a spa. If you don't want to tip, find friend to massage your sore muscles. The price you pay for visiting a spa is the cost of the treatment, plus 15%-20% tip. Understand this before deciding to go to a spa. Maybe a spa isn't the place for you.

If it meets my expectation, I tip 15%. The better the service, the more I tip up to 25%. I pick my places carefully, so I don't end up at places that does not meet my expectation. This way, I don't feel rip off by tipping at least 15%.

Anonymous wrote:What some people don't realize is the massage therapist does not make half of the fee that spas charge. The average is $15/hr at places like massage envy and such. I lived in LA and a high end spa charged more than what massage envy does, and the therapist still only got $16 per hour. Based on how many clients they have. No client no pay, but you usually get a guarantee of minimum wage.

In terms of a independent therapist, we pay rent. We also pay insurance, we pay for continuing education credits, business license, renewals of certifications, we pay for linens, lotions, all those nice things that add ambiance to a room. We pay for our lotions/oils/creams, laundry. We have overhead. It's not just rent at a space. We have to pay for marketing and advertising to get clients in that space. We have all the responsiblities of a spa. If we want to compete with the spas and charge these lowered franchised rates then our profit margins slim. The work is labor intensive the more we do it, and if we don't have clients we don't make any money. If we are mobile we are paid not just for the service, but the travel and set up time, which can be equal to the time we give our service, and outside of the time we pay for gas and incur mileage on our vehicles.

Not only do we pay those business bills, we still need money left over to cover our homes and the normal everyday bills. And when we are good, affect change in the body, provide an alternative to the meds and pain and other issues avoided by utilitzing massage, we have all that education to pay for in the form of student loans. And we have to pay for more education while paying for student loans.

It's never a bad idea to tip your therapist. Especially if they affect change in you.

The same thing goes for every possible job on the planet. I run my own daycare. I currently make $7.75/hour. I work 10 hours a day plus an hour before and after work for clean-up, preparations etc. And that is BEFORE taxes, before any expenses...I don't get tipped. I reckon I aught to feel entitled to tips now, too then, right? Why don't I? Because I think it would be outrageous. I will up my rates next year to have a little more money in my bank account or maybe finally be able to afford health care. We will see if I'll still be able to fill my spots.

It is NOT the clients problem and responsibility if you are underpaid. That goes for massage therapists, daycare providers, servers, all other underpaid jobs. STOP making your wage someone else's problem. The ONLY way for fair wages to be paid is to DEMAND fair wages. And to stop trying to bandaid the problem with demanding tips from people.

What some people don't realize is the massage therapist does not make half of the fee that spas charge. The average is $15/hr at places like massage envy and such. I lived in LA and a high end spa charged more than what massage envy does, and the therapist still only got $16 per hour. Based on how many clients they have. No client no pay, but you usually get a guarantee of minimum wage.

In terms of a independent therapist, we pay rent. We also pay insurance, we pay for continuing education credits, business license, renewals of certifications, we pay for linens, lotions, all those nice things that add ambiance to a room. We pay for our lotions/oils/creams, laundry. We have overhead. It's not just rent at a space. We have to pay for marketing and advertising to get clients in that space. We have all the responsiblities of a spa. If we want to compete with the spas and charge these lowered franchised rates then our profit margins slim. The work is labor intensive the more we do it, and if we don't have clients we don't make any money. If we are mobile we are paid not just for the service, but the travel and set up time, which can be equal to the time we give our service, and outside of the time we pay for gas and incur mileage on our vehicles.

Not only do we pay those business bills, we still need money left over to cover our homes and the normal everyday bills. And when we are good, affect change in the body, provide an alternative to the meds and pain and other issues avoided by utilitzing massage, we have all that education to pay for in the form of student loans. And we have to pay for more education while paying for student loans.

It's never a bad idea to tip your therapist. Especially if they affect change in you.

Anonymous wrote:If everyone just stopped tipping anywhere, the whole problem would eventually solve itself. Expected tips of 15-20% or more are just a SCAM. Prices look much less expensive that way, than they really are. Employees get paid below minimum wages and don't get what they deserve - they have to rely on the tip. That is just wrong, tips should be extra, on top of a decent wage.

Don't get me wrong, I want to pay a fair price for the service I am getting, but I want to know that price up front. I want the employee to get fair wages and to be able to pay their bills and have some extra. In most other countries, tipping is never expected. It is appreciated of course, but tips are given for above average and exceptional services, or in order to motivate someone to perform the services better or faster than usual. That's how it should be. Business owners need to take responsibility here and pay their employees fair wages, they need to charge prices that cover their expenses and the fair wages. The only way to enforce that is to stop default-tipping completely (only tip if you really liked the service). That will eventually put pressure on the employers to raise salaries, as they wont find good employees at the low wages (without the default tips). Another problem of the huge tipping habits is that most of that money (especially cash tips) does not get reported as income on the tax returns. That illegal practice costs the government millions (money they need to collect somewhere else). A tip system for only special service is more fair for everyone.

I could not have said it any better. This is EXACTLY why I (and many of my friends) do not default tip everybody we buy services from.