Not to tip spa/hairdresser?

[becsparkel]

Went to my local spa/salon the other day as a treat (have a 7.5 mo, so this has been a long time coming). Had a lovely relaxing massage & haircut, which was brilliant. The whole thing was pretty expensive and they charged me an extra £10 because I was having a restyle. I don't usually tip spa's as I think they already charge extortionate amounts anyway but I might have tipped the hairdresser if they hadn't charged me an extra tenner.

What's the etiquette and AIBU not to tip the spa therapist and/or hairdresser? The receptionist gave me a dirty look when she saw I hadn't added anything, which makes me wonder if people generally do tip.

Hit me with it!

Tipping isn't obligatory though Downandoutnumbered. Why do you care about what your hairdresser thinks of you? Surely the fact that you go to her regularly to have your hair cut and pay her (quite high!) prices is enough? I couldn't care less whether my hairdresser things I'm tight, generous, mean, horrible, nice, demanding, whatever. She is there to provide a service. If hairdressers want to earn more they need to up their prices, not expect tips.

NannyOg you're right I need to find a mobile hairdresser. Fairly rural round here so I need to ask around. That or start wearing hats..

I always tip hairdressers, nail people, beauticians, taxi drivers and restaurant/cafe waiting staff. Not a huge amount - I round my haircut money up to the nearest tenner - usually about 4 quid and give everyone else about 10 %. I'm not rich I just can't bear meanness - I have worked in low paid jobs where tips made the difference and i think that makes a difference to my attitudes too.

I generally tip about £20 when I get my hair done (DP tips about £10 for a £30 haircut), £3 - 5 to a taxi driver, and about 20 - 30% for a meal out. Do some people really not tip for good service?

Bloody Hell! my haircut is only £16!! And a restyle £25!! And no, I really don't tip...I really can't afford it! I'm already paying for their services ,as it is.

I have hairdressers, staff are always grateful for tips though we do not think any differently about people who don't tip - about 50% of people tip, so its normal not to tip IYSWIM and therefore we don't expect it

Rachelwalsh, how is is mean-ness not to tip?

That's just how I would see it, as stingy, on a par with not standing your round or insisting on restaurant bills being split to the last penny using a calculator and a copy of the menu! I just really hate meanness, it makes me cringe.

I don't tip my hairdresser at the moment, she's senior in a local chain of salons. I get 10% off for re booking and if I tipped it would wipe out the saving. I would give the washer a couple of quid if there was a non awkward op opportunity to do so.

I tip taxi drivers normally and round up to takeaway delivery drivers. Always always tip generously in restaurants and in cash if possible unless the service is atrocious.

It's totally different to not buying a round or insisting on restaurant bills being split. Your hairdresser has not done you a good deed, or a favour. She has provided a service and you have paid the price charged by her for that service. Do you go into Tesco and pay 10% more on a pint of milk or loaf of bread so that you don't look mean?

you can always leave hairdressing tips at the till when you pay - the stylists/washers will have their own envelope there

I hate the whole tipping culture to the extent that at times it puts me off using services. I think the reason for this is simply getting the amount right and the fact that I would much rather know the cost and pay. However, I do still tip on the whole.
DH is funny with tipping, too. He will always tips a taxi driver but is much more reluctant to tip in a restaurant (certainly the 10-15%) and I don't think he tips hairdressers.
I used to tip my last hairdresser £5 each time but ended up feeling this was too much but didn't like to drop it, so I just stopped going there! I now use a mobile hairdresser who charges plenty and as it is her own business I don't tip her.

I think the difference is that it is traditional to tip a hairdresser - it is a recognition of their skill - I wouldn't tip if they gave me a really crap haircut obviously, same goes for badly done nails etc. Restaurant staff top up really crap wages with tips - again I wouldn't tip if the service was awful. I think if you are aware that it is the done thing to tip, that tips are expected, then it makes you look mean to disregard that. Staff in places like tesco's are unskilled and wouldn't be allowed to accept tips anyway.

My dh spent years living the USA so he has to actually be restrained from tipping on a level that would be considered totally OTT here.

I think you sound like a complete snob, RachelWalsh. It seems that all you care about is keeping up with the Joneses, how you come across to people and making it known that you have cash to splash around.

Your comment about Tesco staff is rude and derogatory to anyone who works in a store, and in any case that is not what I was getting at with my comment.

I wish the hairdresser had an 'add tip' function on their chip & pin machine so you could add 10% discreetly when paying by card. I always feel paranoid if I don't tip or haven't managed to get the right change together to give a tip. If only there was a non-embarrassing way to do it!

I tip them every once in a while as an extra 'thank you', it's an expensive habit otherwise. They got a BIG tip for doing my wedding hair of course.

I find this tipping hairdressers/beauty people thing to be a weird UK/Irish/American thing. Had honesty never heard of it while living in Australia and NZ.

Include the full service charge in the price FFS and be done with it. Why do you need to show further "gratuity" - err you've given your money to them already!!

I honestly don't understand people's thinking on this. Do you tip these other kinds of people for providing a similar "valuable service"?

• builders/electricians/plumbers
• bus drivers
• your child's teacher or school principal
• the supermarket checkout person
• mechanic
• your GP
• flight attendant who serves you food on a plane (they're a kind of waiter!)
• the vicar
• your solicitor or accountant
• butcher
• paramedic

I could go on with further examples showing the stupidity of tipping...

I can't believe I'm reading some of these comments! 'I tip them very once in a while as an extra thank you'

Why do they need an extra thank you?!!! They are providing a service which people pay for (through the nose half the time!).

I see no gain in arse licking to a hairdresser

And how could I forget - the example most relevant to Mumsnet! Do you tip the midwife that delivers your baby??? That's a pretty valuable personal service...

Please engage brain before you tip...

No I just stick £50 in a Christmas card each year for the midwife that delivered my youngest

Hate hate hate tipping. They should just charge the proper price for things if they need the extra money.
Lots of people cannot afford to chuck extra fivers at everyone who serves them anything.

I never tip my hairdresser, but I do take a nice gift at christmas, something like a small box of handmade chocolates. My hairdresser is a senior stylist, at an expensive town centre salon.

How much do you pay for a haircut when £20 is reasonable as a tip?

Another example! Do you tip your dentist and their dental nurse?! No! Of course not! So why FFS would you tip your hairdresser?!?!

Hexagonal I'm pg with my first, will the midwife get the baby out faster if there's promise of a tip

If a stylist is a senior stylist at an expensive salon I would have thought that that was less of a reason to give them a present than if they were a junior stylist in a budget salon. Believe me, senior stylists in pricey salons earn wads.

LOL Sara1984 I think in addition to the tip you should really have given her a christmas bonus last year. Don't forget the box of chocolates too! Remember we are tipping them for their skills

You're not obliged to tip but I really don't see the big deal either way. I always tip if I'm impressed with the service and its appropriate. If its not appropriate I always let the supervisor know, for example the girl who helped me at the checkout when dd was screaming her head off and I was in pain with my arm and shoulder. She helped me to the car and helped me load up. She didn't have to do that but because she went above and beyond the normal level of service I called the manager and told him how impressed I was. He seemed genuinely shocked and pleased and he told me that complimentary calls are very rare. Thats such a shame imo.

I think you've got entirely the wrong impression of me Hexagonal, it's nothing to do with 'splashing cash' around or being snobby. I've worked in almost all those jobs, including retail for a number of years. Im not well off and have no interest in pretending I am, like I said meanness makes me cringe and in my experience the more money anyone actually has the more mean they tend to be because they don't actually think about what it's like to be poor and to rely on tips. (or maybe that's partly how you get rich - by being really tight with your money!)

I think it's pretty offensive to hairdressers, who have spent years training for usually less than minimum wage to say that the skill level of someone who works in a supermarket is comparable. I understand that there are skilled workers in supermarkets (fishmongers/butchers etc) but 2 days till/produce training is hardly skilled on the same level as a qualified hairdresser. I don't have any qualms about saying that as like I said I worked in retail for about ten years myself so I definitely don't in any way sneer at anyone who does.