To Tip or Not to Tip: Massueses

Does anybody else love getting a massage?

It’s not just the actual getting of the massage — from the very beginning, it’s an enjoyable experience. Choosing the right time of day (taking time off of work for a mid-afternoon massage, maybe, or right after work so you can go to sleep. Or maybe you prefer a weekend?

Regardless of when you like to have your massages, perhaps you’ve also wondered about how the price works out.

For starters, massages have a wide range of expense. You can get a deal for as little as $30 per hour, with a mid-range price being $60-80 per hour. And nicer spas? Upwards of $150 per hour.

What makes it worth it? What are the differences? And most importantly, how much of that money does the masseuse really see?

The Base Rate: How Much Does the Masseuse Really Make?

How much a masseuse makes depends on how they have structured their relationship with the brick and mortar spa (and also very much by their location).

Some masseuses are essentially small businesses or freelancers. If they start their own salon or spa, they run their massage business like a business, hiring masseuses and giving them a percentage of the hourly rate, or freelancing and taking in the entire fee, plus or minus their overhead costs. 

Masseuses can also be similar to hair care stylists. They “rent a room” in the spa and get bookings based on referrals, reputation, and the reputation of the brick and mortar spa. This can be a monthly fee, or a per-appointment fee. They are also encouraged to recommend other products like a salon’s skin care line or aromatherapy.

The final, and most common arrangement, is for establishments to hire masseuses on an hourly basis, paying from minimum wage to $30 an hour. That means most masseuses only see about 50% or less of the treatment’s hourly rate.

The Tip Rate: To Tip or Not to Tip

Here’s the most interesting part, to me. I’ve often wondered how much to tip masseuses, because when you’re paying so much money for an hour of massage, it gets easy to think that a tip is over the tip. Yet many spas encourage a 15-20% tip!

When it comes down to it, the tip is the only way to make sure the masseuse is making the most money for their services.

This may or may not be fair: some could argue that the masseuse should negotiate the rate better, and that it is not the customer’s problem if they only see $15 per hour, about 18% of an $80 treatment cost to the client.

Others, of course, see tipping as a normal and friendly way to thank a masseuse for their time and attention.

Do you tip on a massage? What about other service industries?