How Much Do You Tip A Massage Therapist?

Here is an article that will help you decide "how much do you tip a massage therapist", as many of you are confused about it.

As massages are regarded as very beneficial, a good massage by a well trained massage therapist can provide us great relaxation and awesome health benefits, but a bad massage can also leave you feeling more stressed.

So the question that rises in every person after a good or bad massage by a massage therapist is that how much should tip the massage therapist, to solve your query we have defined the amount of tip in both the cases, so read below.

Importance of Tips For Massage Therapists

How Much Do You Tip A Massage Therapist?

Many of the people consider tipping massage therapist as they feel they are already making good money, but the fact is that they make very less as a monthly salary from the massage studios and that is why most of the massage therapists rely on the tips they get from their customers.

A lot of massage businesses with multiple therapists follow the rule of 25/75 split, that means 25% to therapist and 75% to business. So a massge therapist will make  $15/hr, if the studio massage rate is of $60/hr.

So for 10 customers per day a massage therapist may make around $100 to $150, so after applying taxes on their income the daily payment gets very low for these therapist. This is why tips for massage therapist are very important as they help them thrive necessary.

So how much tip should you give a massage therapist?

As a massage therapist is providing you service and so the tip is for their good service they provide to you, but when it comes to tipping many of the people who are unaware of the tipping ethics gets confused with the question how much do you tip a massage therapist.

Well it is great if you tip $20 for a hourly well served massage, otherwise tip a minimum $10 per hour and if you visit independent therapist at their own studio that charges $65-$110 per hour, a tip of $10 is more than enough depending upon the service.

If you consider the general tipping rule then it is important to always pay minimum of 10% to 20% as tip for the total charged amount, so that means if the studio charges you $100 then you should at least give $10 minimum in tip to your massage therapist.

Why is it ethical to pay tips to massage therapist?

As we told you earlier a lot of massage therapists are being under paid and find it hard to meet ends due to their low income, as these therapists are putting up more than 25 hours a week due to it being that physically taxing on the body which is still a lot. 

A massage therapists has to take intensive training/schooling to be a good Massage Therapist so that they can help you resolve various situations with your body. In addition, in most countries a massage therapist need to gets licensed by passing an exam and has to pay to renew the license every few years.

A good massage is not only very healthy and relaxing but also can be a problem solving technique for stress and anxiety for many, so its easy to say that a massage therapist work is of high importance to all of us.

Hence paying tips to massage therapist is not only ethical but an integral good deed you can do on your part. So as you got answer to your question how much do you tip a massage therapist, you can easily tip your massage therapist for their good service.

How Much Should You Tip if Your Massage was not Satisfactory?

A Massage Therapists must  know various techniques so that they can give a good massage according to the demand and body needs of their clients.

Some therapists are new and have little experience so they can make mistakes while giving you a massage and that can give you a bad experience. To avoid this always communicate with your massage therapist and let them know what is it that you want, how much pressure is ok.

But when you get a bad experience and you did not liked the massage then "how much should you tip the massage therapist" is the question and confusion all of us have. The simple answer is that you do not have to tip at all.

A tip is given for the service you liked and for the service that made you felt satisfactory, so when a bad massage fails to provide the relaxation you where looking for then you have to let your massage therapist know about it and tell them straight that you are not tipping them.

How Much Do You Tip A Massage Therapist When You are Using Free Coupons?

Many people do not understand that massage is a necessity, not a luxury. So they only go for massage when they get some free coupons or offers like 50% off.

Also people who are regular customers at a particular massage studio tend to get good offers from time to time.

So when people get free massage coupons or a offer price they get confused and have a question "how much do you tip a massage therapist when using coupons".

Well to answer this question in simple words you have to consider the actual cost of massage and give 10% of total cost as tip. 

Lets say you are getting a free massage or 50% off on actual cost which is $100, then also you must pay somewhere between 10% to 15% of $100 that is $10 to $15 as a tip to your massage therapist.

How Much Should You Tip For A Good Private Massage?

A private massage therapist works as a free lancer and gives both inhouse and outhouse service, so the if you do not want to go for massage at some unknown outside place you can always call the private massage therapist at your home.

Now the rates charged by private massage therapists are comparatively very low which is around 30 to 40 depending upon the time of your massage.

So you should tip around 20% of the total cost to a private massage therapist for example if the private massage therapy cost is $50 then you should tip $10 in tip, but you can ask directly how much tip is expected by the therapist and pay accordingly.

If the massage therapist tells you that their rate is all inclusive then you do not have to pay the tip, so now you know how much do you tip a private massage therapist.

How Much Do You Tip For A Good Massage at Hotel Spa?

When you are out on a trip and staying in a hotel you can get a good massage at the hotel massage spa, but generally the cost of massage is already high in hotel spas, so how much should you tip at a hotel massage spa is the question.

Well in our view if you have the money to get a massage at a hotel spa then you must also have enough to tip a massage therapist, so just follow the minimum 10% and maximum 20% rule while tipping the massage therapist at hotel spa.

The Rule of Tipping A Massage Therapist

As we have answered your question how much do you tip a massage therapist, it may come to your mind that why I need to follow the 10% tipping rule and why should I tip a massage therapist at all.

So to change this thought we suggest you think of massage as a pure health safety and insurance cover that helps you stay fit, relaxed and away from many health issues and thus helps you save your money for long term benefits.

So if you value your good health, you will also value a good healthy massage because massage is a basic form of self care and paying $90 with tip is any time better than paying thousands of dollars drinking, eating junk and doing other unnecessary stuff. 

Save Money For Massage and Massage Therapist tips

Now as you have a good idea on how much do you tip a massage therapist and why you should tip a massage therapist, we suggest you to save monthly for a good message.

As saving $4 a day for a complete month by cutting down on your unnecessary spending habits leaves you with an extra $120 from which a person can easily spend $90 for massage and $10 for tip.

This is just an advice for you as  a lot of studies out there prove that a person can benefit a lot from a 60 minutes massage once a month.

Final Thoughts On How Much Do You Tip A Massage Therapist

This article is written with the intention of motivating our readers on to get good healthy massage and tip the massage therapist as a deed of generosity.

So it is not mandatory for you to pay the massage therapist but it is just a social and ethical code that is followed almost by every one and our suggestion is that you should follow it too.

This is all we have to tell you on how much do you tip a massage therapist, hope you find this article helpful and good enough to share with others.