Tipping...in the corporate environment?

[Owais Memon]

I've been reading in a lot of posts about tipping in the corporate environment.
I'm looking for feedback/opinions from U.S. and Canadian therapists alike on this.

With all due respect, I personally and professionally don't agree with tipping massage therapists in a corporate environment or clinical environment. Were medical professionals -- not hairstylists or waiters. Do you tip your doctor? Your dentist? Your chiropractor? I think it kind of "cheapens" our knowledge/skill base. Spa....yea that is different.

Dave

 

[Boomer Rat]

We see a mixed bag of behavior.

Our employee - pays client, about 1/3 of the folks tip.

Our employer-paid clients, hardly anyone tips.

Our 3rd party pays is split -- between nearly everyone tipping and no one tipping.

Tradeshows and promo events where it is free, first come first-served and open to everyone, hardly anyone gets in the chair without offering something afterward. They figure they are getting a free treat, so they even overtip -- giving as much as $10 for a 10 minute rub!

When it is more of closed population - services sent to a client or vendor as a thank you, or a hospitality suite environment - no one tips, figuring all payment is taken care of.

We pay our therapists for all work performed, so they are not reliant on tips to make it worth their tiem.

 

[lipstickdreams]

I think tipping is a culture thing. Only in america is it expected. Most place like europe have the tips accounted for in the retail price. In Japan, tip is forbidden.

Almost all therapist that does massage as preventative healthcare don't expect tips. those that do pampering type expect tip because they usually work at a fast pace spa. Often the case, management would use tip as a guage to calculate the therapist's pay, which is illegal. You can tell which establishment do this when they comment that tips will make your salary higher. Many Spas are known to do this in SF from consensus among community massage therapist here. If they don't do that then they would hype the price to let clients pay for it. example would be 80-90 bucks for half hour massage and 175-190 bucks for 1 hr massage. I wonder if they actually make money with those prices. many people aren't rich to spend that kind of money on frequent biweekly basis for pampering massage. I guess their target market is rich folks or those that see massage as luxury so they don't mind spending that once or few times a year. Anyways, back to the tips issue.

Tips are not mandatory but american culture makes it seems so. where I use to work, the receptionist and other therapist would get a big fit and be angry when a client didn't tip me. usually this happens with tourist who don't know what a tip is. tips are not part of where they live.

My rule of thumb is. if they tip, accept it. it's appreciation and show that they value you. It is also feedback that you should charge more if it happens often like 70% of your clients overtipping. if they don't tip. it's fine too. sometime refusing insults them. You can always suggest they use the tip for future sessions. think of money as a relationship, if you reject it, what messages are you sending to the world? gotta respect money. it's alive because it has the person's intent behind it. think of it this way. sometimes clients tip more because it's their way of tithing so that they feel good. the law of giving and receiving. the bottomline is, do what is comfortable for you.

 

[New York Gal]

I don't think a tip "cheapens" our profession. What we do is much more "make you feel good" than a doctor or chiro. Watch any person who walks out of a massage. Yeah, we're improving your health, but in a much different way.

On the other hand, a lot of people JUST DON'T TIP. So in my private practice I charge I want I need to make. If they tip, it is truly an extra. I DON'T NEED IT. I do like it. But at the spa where I work, I want everyone to tip, although many don't. I'm okay with them not tipping. Just prefer that they do.

I really believe that "tipping policy" changes so much from person to person that each massage therapist needs to make their own peace with it. I always think it's nice when someone tips. But I don't think lesser of someone if they don't.

Best,
Shiva

 

[Liuzhou Laowai]

If it's an employee pay event, about half tip.

If it's an employer pay environment, like one of my weekly jobs, I discourage tipping, assuring everyone that I'm being taken care of.

If it's a convention or a health fair, and we're being sponsored by the event or a company, I have my therapists refuse the initial attempt at tipping, once again assuring the client that they (the therapist) is being taken care of. If the client insists a second time, it's ok to take it.....some people feel better if they can tip and we don't want them to leave unhappy or upset just because of tips.

I get paid well enough that I could care less about tips. I pay well enough that my therapists could care less about tips.

 

[Clair]

Hi Dave,

Being from Ontario as well, I was trained with the same mentality you have. It is in my literature that tipping isn't necessary, that I would prefer referrals of friends and family instead. But I don't want to offend. If someone asks me if they should tip, my response is an emphatic no, just the fee is more than enough. But if they don't ask, and do tip, I simply say, you didn't have to do that, gently hand back the money. I don't make a big deal, and if they push hard enough I will take it, though it rarely happens. Like YFChoice said, I don't want someone to leave with a bad taste in their mouth because I wouldn't take their $5, so I do use my discretion, and discourage it.

I work in a chiro clinic, so almost no tipping there, and the corporate work I do, I never get tipped, unless I go way above and beyond, and still I don't expect, and discourage, but it sometimes happens. I would have to say, the only people that consistently tip me are the RCMP when I direct bill to their blue cross plan. The individual pays me nothing, so they tend to tip a little.

All in all I definitely do not make a living off tips, and price accordingly, and everyone seems happy.

 

[thebomb]

Tipping rocks! Especially when it comes in large dollar bills...although I completely understand your concern. It's the nature of the industry I think.

 

[Leon B]

It is in my literature that tipping isn't necessary, that I would prefer referrals of friends and family instead. But I don't want to offend. If someone asks me if they should tip, my response is an emphatic no, just the fee is more than enough. But if they don't ask, and do tip, I simply say, you didn't have to do that, gently hand back the money. I don't make a big deal, and if they push hard enough I will take it, though it rarely happens. Like YFChoice said, I don't want someone to leave with a bad taste in their mouth because I wouldn't take their $5, so I do use my discretion, and discourage it.

... and the corporate work I do, I never get tipped...

All in all I definitely do not make a living off tips, and price accordingly, and everyone seems happy.

Ditto, ditto, ditto.