So tipping…

Should I l give my massage therapist a tip?

Leaving a tip is a great way to show appreciation for your treatment and therapists appreciate them! If you feel the session went well, you got something out of your session, or you just want to show appreciation then yes! However, when you’re at a spa, clinic, chiro’s office, or studio tips are not the same.

Typically in a medical setting you don’t tip right? But when it comes to massage it’s very common because of the spa industry. So when do you leave a tip??

When a therapist doesn’t work for themselves their employer gets a cut and many times it’s more than you think. If you want to have a better understanding of tip culture in massage then keep reading! Lets look at spa’s first:

Leaving your massage therapist a tip at a spa

Most spa’s are chains, either a local chain or a bigger one like Massage Envy, Hand and stone, Massage Heights, and other spa franchises. Bigger chains take more of a cut, but it has set the norm for pay in other areas like local chains and independent studios. If you are a chain, chances are the therapist isn’t making more than $30/service at best. I have interviewed in a few of these places and quickly realized that $17/hour is the starting norm!

Massage is an intense and personal experience that takes a lot out of the therapist and when you need to work 30+ hours just to pay bills and the license fee’s + insurance in order to work, you’re left with little to live off of.

Tipping in Spa’s and chains is more common because they rely on those tips.

Many therapists are forced to sit at the spa and wait for walk ins without being paid for that time. If someone doesn’t show for their appointment they also don’t get paid for that either. When Spa’s try to introduce a cancellation fee they are met with a lot of backlash. In my experience, those who refuse to put a credit card down for a service are the same people that will no call no show to an appointment. For that reason we always ask for a card to hold your spot.

But what about chiro’s and dr offices?

Leaving your massage therapist a tip at a chiro’s office

In my experience, the cut is about the same but the starting wage is more around $23-$33 making it a bit easier to make a living but still not enough. This is also only when we have clients, it’s a very up and down kind of business. If a client cancels last minute ( as early as 48 hours before a session is scheduled is considered a last minute cancelation) or doesn’t show for their appointment, it means the therapist is not only out that money but may be unable to fill that spot.  My cancellation policy outlines we require 48 hours notice and are open when things arise that are out of your control. 

Massage Therapists in chains or smaller studios don’t always have the opportunity to charge a cancellation fee. Keep this in mind when you go to a place with multiple therapists or when you are charged a fee for canceling on the same day. These offices are usually better to the therapists but are more likely to engage in illegal employment structures. These include hiring a therapist as an “independent contractor” only to make them stay put when there aren’t clients, take cuts of whatever the therapists makes, and even make them do laundry for the office.

How is it not enough?

As a massage therapist we need to pay the state a license fee (around $200-$250), insurance for the year (around $210), and present 24 credit hours every two years showing we are continuing our education. On average, every 6 Ceu’s (credit hours) costs about $150 – $300 and that also takes away time from work. If we aren’t working, then we are unable to make income while we learn. Sometimes there is travel involved just to go to the ones we really want to go to, as well as lodging, food, and I am sure you get the picture.

With all of this there are still every day/living expenses that vary from person to person. You will often find that your massage therapist works in more than one studio, spa, or clinic. Even uses other hobbies to supplement their income. For the first 4 years of my massage career I was a fire spinner for events.

How much to tip your massage therapist

Massage Therapists love their job and get a lot of joy from it, and you can usually tell by your sessions. We do it because we love it.

Okay, there is a lot but you haven’t told me if I should tip my therapist or not.

So my answer is do you want to? Do you think your therapist relies on tips? Take a look at where they work.

The going rate for tips are 15-25%

If your therapist is working at Dr. or Chiro’s office doing 10-20 min massages back to back after every client, chances are they are overworked and aren’t getting paid that much.

Same thing with a spa. Do you have a different therapist each time? is it hard to find one that’s been there a while? Chances are they are also being overworked and rely on tips.

If massage therapists don’t work for themselves, they don’t make more than $40/service, including tip (and that is when the spa’s are charging $110+ for the service ). The bottom line is, do it because you want to, now that you know the breakdown. Maybe find an independent therapist you like and see them at their location or ask your therapist for their contact information just incase they leave the establishment you met them in. Therapists are unable to reach out to clients after they leave (for ethical and sometimes legal reasons) and you may lose contact with them.

Is there a tip norm?

Kind of. Many times people tip between $15 – $25 depending on how much the service is. Do whatever you can, and If you can’t, don’t worry about it! It’s not going to affect your service and if it does then you should find a new therapist. Maybe consider finding a therapist who has a private practice or at a place that treats their therapists well.

Other places I recommend in Philadelphia

You can find our Referral page here.

Haven Wellness Center: I have had very relaxing sessions there. There is also the wonderful Missy Meyers located in 2424 studios on York st. in Fishtown.

This is an example webpage for Tranquil Business Solutions,

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Last edit was 12.29.2023