hmmmmmmmmm i always thought of that as my insurance pays. So i am pretty comfortable with my massage therapist after 7 years so i asked her once. And she said flat out NO she would not even except one.

tfun~

p.s. i am in Canada if that makes a diff.

yep, I always tip for services, such as hair, massage, etc. I usually do the 15% or so.

N~

Not unless it's one of those body rub joints where they do "extras". :-)

Seriously - massage therapy is a professional service. I'm a chiro and have shared office space with massage therapists. They have a set fee and that is what they charge, whether you pick up the tab or does insurance. No tip is expected. In fact it's bad form IMO.

i get one weekly @ $120 for 90 mins and tip $40

How much do you tip your wait staff?

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Lisa Walser-Anderson, ATC,CSCS

tip $20-25

same percentage if your talking to me Lisa.

Most definitely....I give 20% at least....most of these folks rely on tips...even in the nicer spas/clubs. I treat my massage therapist like a hairdresser or any other higher end service...always 20%. Also, like a great waitress/waiter in a nice restaurant. :)

I have been seeing my massage therapist now for 10 years. She has put my body back together countless times, always makes room for me in her very busy schedule, and if the body needs more than 60 minutes, she goes the extra time and mile. And while, I am getting dressed, she even gives my Black Lab massage.

So yes, I tip, and I tip well, at least 25% or more. I always give her a Christmas bonus of $100-200. She is better than any Chiro and all but 1 PT I've ever been to.

I know I am very lucky to have found her, and I send every trigeek, cyclist and runner that I know to her. A massage with her is more like a search and destroy mission. She finds things I didn't even know were hurting! My massage hurts while she digs on the crud, and after, I feel like a million bucks.

fairly long thread a couple years ago if you want some more input - here's the link

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=231617;search_string=massages%20and%20tipping;guest=10887757#231617

I'm actually surprised how many people are recommending tipping. In my geographical area and experience, it's just not done.

But I notice you mention "clinic-like place" vs "spa-like". I'm obviously thinking of a clinic where much of the work massage therapists do would be insurance covered. Even if out of pocket, in a clinic environment, tips are not expected. In a spa situation it might be quite different.

Also, qualifications to do massage may vary from area to area.

Both of my kids are LMTs, and they've told me that at least in the Seattle area, whether or not they get tips depends on a few things (apart from whether or not their customers thought they gave a good massage).

If you are in private practice and the session is not covered by insurance, tipping is common; if it is insurance, then generally not.

If they are working for a company, then it depends on organizational policy. My son's current job is with a spa chain and they have a no tipping policy; at other spas he has worked at (especially a higher-end resort out in the Olympic Rain Forest) tipping was common and often substantial. There are a few companies whose model is to provide on-site LMTs to companies (like Boeing, where I get some of mine) or at public places like the airport. These generally focus on seated upper body and shorter time periods. Tipping is common, especially at the airport where corporate credit cards are often used for payment.

I think it is humorous that you drop over 8 g's per year on massages.

I think that where you are determines the tipping culture - here in the Canadian Prairies only a few services get tips, though I suspect there are a lot more in the more populous areas east and west, and certainly in the U.S. I think corporate culture tends to tip more, and on more occasions, than down home folks, because of the expense account and company credit card things, and the cultural (and sometimes very pragmatic) need to impress.
j




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