I'm most likely not going to be popular to other massage therapist with my answers.

You don't need to tip your massage therapist if you are going to a doctor's office or if they are the owner. If the service is good than I would personally prefer that the person recommend me to their friends and family than leave a tip.

In a spa setting it is customary to leave 15-20% tip. The therapist is making less and took the job counting on the tips.

Massage Envy is another topic all together and I would personally avoid working or going there. You only get a 50 minute massage instead of 60. Plus they really pay their therapist crap.

If you are a massage therapist please don't take a job that only pays a 25/75 split. If no one is willing to work for that small amount than the place will have to start paying more. 50/50 is the lowest I think it reasonable.

I think $35000 a year for no college is pretty darn good. The training isn't even a year! Better pay than some college degrees. I wouldn't complain.

Obviously I looked here because I am confused about this issue. First, I pay about $90.- for a one hour therapeutic massage. I feel that a massage therapist is a professional. And I made less than them as a college professor. I would have been MORTIFIED ever to have received a tip in my working life. To the person who called non-tippers "cheap" I say you are "AVARICIOUS".

Anonymous wrote:The majority of you have obviously never ever work in any service industry. You should ALWAYS tip 20%. If the service was bad tip at your own discretion. It doesn't matter whether you get tipped at your job or not. These people don't make regular wages/salaries. They usually depend on you the consumer for their money so even though your massage may cost 100 dollars, the person who is fighting the carpel tunnel to relax you is probably not even receiving half of that despite what some above think.... The server, masseuse, any type of service is NOT recieving half of anything.

My husband owns his own business and works in the service industry putting windows in cars. He fights carpel tunnel and tendonitis every day doing his job. He doesn't get tips. Most try to pay as little as possible for the service.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MASSAGE THERAPIST AND OWNER OPERATOR FOR 20 YEARS HERE: The Industry standard is 15-20% of THE FULL PRICE. Just like any other service industry, this is how we make our money. You tip on the full amount regardless of the discount. IF YOU DIDNT LIKE THE MASSAGE, it reflects in the tip. IF YOU ARE A HABITUAL LOW TIPPER, don't be surprised if your therapist "fires" you. If you are receiving a therapeutic massage: TIP WELL. This is hard work, hard on the therapist and if you don't. It's likely they won't appreciate seeing you again. So if you are getting a massage that usually costs $95 and you are getting it for $55 15% would be $14.25 and 20% $19. Generally $15 or $20 is a good tip on an hour massage regardless of the cost of the massage. You don't tip the manager of the spa unless they are giving you a massage. Hope this helps.

You don't tip owners, period.

Correct. You don't tip owners.

If your take home is $300-$350 a week and you spent 600-650 hours of school to make this kind of money....


....then you are a fool. Begging for tips won't help your foolishness. i.e. don't ask us to support it.



10-15% tip is VERY reasonable for a masseuse. If someone told me they wanted more I would ask for the whole tip back and never come there again. Tip is NOT REQUIRED and if you choose to be grubby about it, there are consequences to those actions.

If you don't like those consequences...GET ...ANOTHER....JOB.

I had a rude a-hole of a taxi driver last week. When I deboarded he asked me how much tip i was gonna leave and I told him the only tip he was getting was "to be nicer and more polite to your passengers". He didn't like that tip but I told him this would be a great experience for him and that he would learn a lot from it. When I was acting like a moron when younger, I learned a great deal from it when people called me out on my selfish behaviors.

Anonymous wrote:You typically tip a server at a restaurant 15-20% of the bill. They spend about 5-10 minutes with you out of an hour meal. A massage therapist, who trains on average 600-650 hours of school, 70 hours of clinical experience, on going required continuing education, is responsible for discerning safe practice, required to carry a state license and liability insurance, is CPR certified and spends every single moment of that 60 minutes healing, relaxing, de stressing and using their extensive knowledge to relieve your pain.
In the discount member based massage franchises they receive apox 15-17 hour. They are limited on how many massages they can do in a day. Take home pay averages about 300- 350 A week without your tips so they mostly all must keep a second job.
The tipping above is nonsense.
I am a massage therapist and have personally experienced this. If you know your therapist has done well , do as
you do with your favorite bartender-- overtip!!!

Anonymous wrote:MASSAGE THERAPIST AND OWNER OPERATOR FOR 20 YEARS HERE: The Industry standard is 15-20% of THE FULL PRICE. Just like any other service industry, this is how we make our money. You tip on the full amount regardless of the discount. IF YOU DIDNT LIKE THE MASSAGE, it reflects in the tip. IF YOU ARE A HABITUAL LOW TIPPER, don't be surprised if your therapist "fires" you. If you are receiving a therapeutic massage: TIP WELL. This is hard work, hard on the therapist and if you don't. It's likely they won't appreciate seeing you again. So if you are getting a massage that usually costs $95 and you are getting it for $55 15% would be $14.25 and 20% $19. Generally $15 or $20 is a good tip on an hour massage regardless of the cost of the massage. You don't tip the manager of the spa unless they are giving you a massage. Hope this helps.

You don't tip owners, period.

Wow, that sounds horrible. If I were you, I'd just get another job that pays better and not beg for tips on a forum.

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.

Anonymous wrote: Had a one hour massage yesterday , gave a 20% tip. Girl said that was to low , she wanted 10% more. Had to tell her maybe next time. Was she out of line, or was I being cheap?

She was out of line.

-- a massage therapist who appreciates the tips but seriously dislikes the tipping culture

Had a one hour massage yesterday , gave a 20% tip. Girl said that was to low , she wanted 10% more. Had to tell her maybe next time. Was she out of line, or was I being cheap?

$10 which is what the places that I typically go to ask for. Saves me from having to do the math.

MASSAGE THERAPIST AND OWNER OPERATOR FOR 20 YEARS HERE: The Industry standard is 15-20% of THE FULL PRICE. Just like any other service industry, this is how we make our money. You tip on the full amount regardless of the discount. IF YOU DIDNT LIKE THE MASSAGE, it reflects in the tip. IF YOU ARE A HABITUAL LOW TIPPER, don't be surprised if your therapist "fires" you. If you are receiving a therapeutic massage: TIP WELL. This is hard work, hard on the therapist and if you don't. It's likely they won't appreciate seeing you again. So if you are getting a massage that usually costs $95 and you are getting it for $55 15% would be $14.25 and 20% $19. Generally $15 or $20 is a good tip on an hour massage regardless of the cost of the massage. You don't tip the manager of the spa unless they are giving you a massage. Hope this helps.

I don't tip! When you're getting $95/hour that's twice what I make in an hour. I don't get tipped, so neither shall you! Sorry, just my humble opinion. I also don't tip very much at restaurants, unless it was EXTREMELY GREAT service, but then again here in Canada servers make minimum wage plus their tips.

You typically tip a server at a restaurant 15-20% of the bill. They spend about 5-10 minutes with you out of an hour meal. A massage therapist, who trains on average 600-650 hours of school, 70 hours of clinical experience, on going required continuing education, is responsible for discerning safe practice, required to carry a state license and liability insurance, is CPR certified and spends every single moment of that 60 minutes healing, relaxing, de stressing and using their extensive knowledge to relieve your pain.
In the discount member based massage franchises they receive apox 15-17 hour. They are limited on how many massages they can do in a day. Take home pay averages about 300- 350 A week without your tips so they mostly all must keep a second job.
The tipping above is nonsense.
I am a massage therapist and have personally experienced this. If you know your therapist has done well , do as
you do with your favorite bartender-- overtip!!!

Anonymous wrote:I tip $1 per minute. I usually do the 15 min massages at the asian places in the malls

$1 per minute? so you pay $15 for 15 minutes massages? You must be nut!!!!