Tipping

Today I will discuss tipping, the great, the bad, and everything in between.

As I wrote in an earlier post, if you ever use spa services, please TIP your therapist because their hourly rate is but a small fraction of the price the spa charges the client. I know most people don't know what a spa therapist makes (minimum wage to $60 and hour), so the fact that they don't tip may be due more to ignorance than to stinginess.

In EVERY circumstance where a therapist works on you it is ALWAYS a good idea to tip. Yes, even if the therapist is self-employed; he or she still has to buy all their equipment and supplies, pay all the licensing and business fees, drive to you, carry a table into your home, and do endless laundry.

How much is great? 100% is great, and yes several clients have tipped me 100% or more. What is average? 15-20% just like in restaurants. What is bad? 12% or less. What is the worst? No tip at all. Sometimes it's because the people receiving the service have never worked in a job that depended on tips, so they have no concept or compassion for those who do. Sometimes a client is simply stingy and selfishly trying to save a few dollars. I have actually had some people disappear into a bathroom to avoid giving me a tip.

Should everyone always tip? Not necessarily. If your therapist hurts you, does not show up on time, or does something you specifically said not to do, do not tip and tell the therapist why. Tips are for a job done proficiently, at the very least, and at the very best, done well.

Ironically the most difficult clients are usually also the stingiest. My celebrity clients are among the worst tippers; they are used to getting everything free and expect their mere presence to be their gift to you. Very wealthy people run the gamut from the very generous to the very stingy depending on whether their wealth was earned (generous) or inherited (stingy).

The best tippers are people who work or have worked for tips in their life; once you have had to survive on the kindness of strangers, you become a kind stranger.

Money is a currency reflecting of the amount of appreciation, respect, and kindness in any relationship, business or personal. People who are appreciative, respectful, and kind ALWAYS tip and tip generously. Those who lack those qualities in life also lack them in their relationships and tip poorly (or not at all). Therapists who lack those qualities will find their tips meager or nonexistent.

Whether you are a client or a therapist, improve the amount of appreciation and respect in your relationships with the other people, and money will reflect that improvement accordingly.