Most probably, no. Because therapists who work for themselves do not have to abide by any rules or the amount to charge. Maximum of the massage therapists charged in such a way that the tip that a customer may give is already included there.
It is rarely possible that the customer still gives deep to a self-employed massage therapist. Some other facts that you should not tip to a massage therapist are if his services are not satisfying or not worth it.
Let us not beat around the bush anymore and get to the concept straight.
Tipping A Massage Therapist Who Works For Themselves
If you see most self-employed massage therapists do not have business cards like corporate ones. They may have a separate website or any documentation that lets the customers choose to service with charge. Once I had a service from a therapist who worked for himself alone. And he had a prepayment selection on his website. That option included flat rate tips, no tips, and other percentages of tips.
Another type of therapist can be, they have a fixed charge. Their charge is already included with tips they would want. Perhaps we all don’t know about this but the sales employed massage therapists mostly include deep on their charge.
Tipping Etiquette
Tipping Etiquette has always been a nice form of gifting. If you go to a spa, you will see that employees get 40% to 50% of their service charge. Well, it is a common practice to give 20% extra of that amount when the massage seems delightful. But all spas don’t allow the employees to take tips from the customers. Sometimes the customers give tips to the therapist discreetly when they deserve it. Anyways, some high-end spas are at the tips of their charge as they are confident in providing high-quality service.
Then comes therapists who are the business owners themselves. They generally charge enough for which the clients don’t feel necessary to give them a tip. Besides, no one is there to dominate the amount they will charge. So if they want something extra they will charge according to that. And if the customer gets compelled to tip him for his excellent service, that would be a different thing.
How Much Tip Is Fine To Give?
Most commonly, massage sessions continue for 1 hour. And if you are new to the service, you may not know how much should you tip a massage therapist for 60 minutes. As a rule of thumb, tipping 20% is okay to give him.
Suppose the massage that you got cost $100. In that case, you can tip $20 to the therapist. I think generosity is appreciable.
When Should You Not Tip A Massage Therapist?
Sometimes, the tip is included in the charge of massage therapists. At that time, there is no need to pay any tip. However, there are other reasons that you should not tip a massage therapist even if the tip is not included in the charge. For example-
If he gives a rude service
The more a massage therapist is gentle, the more his service seems reliable. If you find anything rude from him I think there is no need to tip the therapist.
When he does not allow any tip
This part is a bit rare. Often the therapist does not take any tips because the amount is already included in his charge. It is hardly possible that he will not take any extra tip.
His massage quality is very low
Suppose, the areas where you wanted to massage and relieve were not done properly. That time also you can avoid giving any tips to the massage therapist.
If his message hurts you
No one would like to give any tips to the therapist who gives pain while massaging.
The therapist does not give enough pressure
Therapies may give either too much pressure or very less pressure. This type of service hardly satisfies the customers. You should avoid giving tips at that time.
His time management is not perfect
Therapy that does not arrive at the exact time Jesus signs that he is not punctual. Well yes, sometimes there can be urgent situations where he may be compelled to arrive late. You can tip him less if he is not at fault.
His message made you uncomfortable
An uncomfortable massage is something that you wasted your money on a massage therapist. So there is no option of giving any tip here.
How To Get The Most From Your Massage
So far, we have been discussing the tips for massage therapy. But now we will talk about the tips from massage therapists so that you can get the most from your service. Such as:
- Try to get more compatible with the massage.
- Keep your stomach empty and eat nothing before the massage process
- Be ready earlier. Because when you come in a rush, that will take time for your relaxation.
- Breathe normally.
- Leave your muscles and mind so they can relax properly.
- Drinking plenty of water after the massage process can make you feel fresher.
- Remove clothing as much as you are comfortable with.
- Talk to your massage therapist during the session.
- Don’t get up immediately after the session.
- Talk to your massage therapist if you feel like it.
By the following guidelines, you can get a pure service from your massage therapist. I think this will compel you to give him a tip as well if that is not included in his charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you tip massage therapists at chiropractors?
Tipping a massage therapist is a common practice overall. However, a chiropractor is not a massage therapist. He is just like a regular doctor. So there is no need to tip a chiropractor. Just pay them like you usually pay the doctors.
Do you tip a sports massage therapist?
According to the spa realm, it is good to tip 20% of the service charge. It goes for all types of massage, including sports massage. So yeah, I usually tip a sports massage therapist if the tip is not included in the amount to be paid.
How much do you tip a massage therapist for an hour?
As said before, massage sessions mostly continue for an hour. If it costs you $100, you can tip $20 to the therapist, only if his service is satisfying.
Conclusion
Do you tip massage therapists who work for themselves? I think not anymore since we know that the tip is included in the service charge already. However, if you want to tip your massage therapist for some special reason, you are great to go. 20% of the entire amount is the best amount to give as a tip.
All being well, you can understand from the above concept when you should not give deep and how to get the most from your service.