Tipping your pedicurist is a necessary etiquette, but it can be pretty confusing figuring out how much to tip. We gathered some important tips (see what we did there) from celebrity manicurist Tee Hundley about tipping etiquette in salons and spas, in an attempt to help you understand the complicated nature of tipping.
How much should you tip your pedicurist?
According to Tee, “Most people feel that you should tip 20% regardless of how much a service is. I feel you should tip based on service. I would say a good range is from 15%-30%. A long term, repeat client will usually tip at a higher rate. These days social media and Yelp are added intangible tips. Good reviews and yelps for a specific technician yield business (and more tips) for said technician.”
We totally agree with Tee about social media and Yelp being a huge part of tipping nowadays (in addition to the traditional monetary tip). If you’ve had an amazing experience (which hopefully most of your manis and pedis are), chances are you’re going to tell people you know all about what made it so great. Social media and Yelp are just an extension of this; sharing your experiences online can help other people have the same experiences as you. The same goes for when you have a terrible mani or pedi and wished someone warned you to not go there, social media and Yelp allow you to warn others about the negative experience you had there.
What should you do if you get multiple technicians during your pedicure?
“If two different techs perform your service, I suggest splitting the tip”, offers Tee. “However if the 2nd technician only performed your polish service, I would give the 1st technician 60% to 70% of the tip.”
Hopefully these tips (zing!) help clear up any confusion you’ve had about tipping your technician!
– Mette Jorgensen
