How much to tip the hairdresser??

November 6, 2010 1:46 AM

How much do you tip your hairdresser (if at all)??

Always been a bit unsure as to the etiquette for tipping hairdressers. How much do people generally tip? I know not everyone does but what is generally expected? I'm in the uk, if thatmakes a difference.

posted by Mnky197 to Society & Culture (40 answers total)

I give $50 for my $35 haircut and $100 for my $70 cut + single process color in Seattle.
posted by halogen at 2:29 AM on November 6, 2010

A regular hairdresser is the one person who really don't want to piss off. For sitting there for 2+ hours for a cut and color, I tip 20%. If my hair routine was less complicated, I'd probably tip 15%. And if you go to a salon where someone different washes your hair, I'd throw them £5.
posted by meerkatty at 2:30 AM on November 6, 2010

30%-50% for a haircut. I think about 25% the one time I got a dye job (boy, was that a mistake. Not the tip, the dye job.). But then again, I get a haircut only about once every six weeks.

One thing I do not like to do is separately tip the shampoo girl, so usually I don't. The barber/hairdresser can tip out just like a waiter tips out the bus boys. My job is to give a good tip, not to figure out how to distribute it, and I hate the idea I have to tip the receptionist, shampoo girl, and my barber. It's not the money, it's the inconvenience of having to traipse all over the damn shop, pulling out ones and fives like it's a titty bar.
posted by orthogonality at 2:38 AM on November 6, 2010 [9 favorites]

I've always had my hair cut at small places where the hairdresser owns the salon. It never occurred to me to tip her for regular cuts, although I do give something extra around holidays. Now I'm wondering if I've been doing this wrong. aaugh.
posted by bardophile at 2:39 AM on November 6, 2010

15+ %
posted by Jacqueline at 3:42 AM on November 6, 2010

Last haircut I got was $13; I paid $15, which is 15%. My dad tipped about the same amount when he took me for haircuts as a kid, and I believe he gave a little extra at Christmas. The idea of tipping 30%+ is a little shocking to me, but obviously I have an extremely simple hairstyle. This is in Western Canada.
posted by twirlip at 3:46 AM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

I know not everyone does but what is generally expected?

You're not expected to tip. If you're paying by cash, rounding up to the nearest £5/£10 (ie telling them to keep the change) is fairly common. If they did an exceptionally good job or you have particularly difficult hair then you might want to give them a little extra but if you go to a big salon you can't guarantee that money will make it to your hairdresser's pocket.
posted by missmagenta at 3:47 AM on November 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

I always used to round up to the nearest 5 or 10 pounds, but as a bloke, I was going to a barbers and I always think it's wise to tip a man who holds a knife to your throat (or at least the side of your neck).

Since I've been living in Spain though, where there's no real culture of tipping for a haircut, I don't normally tip any more.
posted by itsjustanalias at 3:58 AM on November 6, 2010

Ditto ~15%. More if the haircut doesn't suck, which has happened like three times total so far.
posted by Bardolph at 4:04 AM on November 6, 2010

I tip 20%.
posted by TooFewShoes at 4:15 AM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

bardophile: I've always had my hair cut at small places where the hairdresser owns the salon. It never occurred to me to tip her for regular cuts

You have not been doing this wrong in your particular case as traditionally one doesn't tip the owner. So, you're fine.

(And yes I know this piece of etiquette is fading away. I don't care. Get off my lawn.)
posted by DarlingBri at 4:17 AM on November 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

"I'm in the uk, if thatmakes a difference." Yes, it makes a big difference.

I'm a guy. I went through a phase of going to the same place for a few years, and I used to tip them about £10 (i.e. 50%) at Christmas, but normally I don't tip in the UK.
posted by caek at 4:20 AM on November 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

I'm in the UK. I always tip about 20% unless the hairdresser owns the salon. The rationale is that hairdressers who rent chairs have to hand over a significant fraction of the official cost of the haircut to the salon, but the tip is cash that the hairdresser keeps all for him/herself. If my hair has been washed by an apprentice or newbie stylist working their way up, I also usually wang them a fiver out of sympathy.

I don't really understand the UK hostility to tipping. Come on, where else in life can £5 buy so much goodwill?
posted by stuck on an island at 4:46 AM on November 6, 2010

I always tip $10, unless the haircut costs more than $50, then I adjust (up) appropriately.
posted by vkxmai at 5:12 AM on November 6, 2010

$5 tip on a $22 haircut.
posted by shiny blue object at 5:17 AM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm a man, so haircuts tend to be a lot cheaper. I give my barber £10 for an £8 cut (ie. 25%).
posted by gene_machine at 5:24 AM on November 6, 2010

About 50%. It's not like going out to a restaurant… how often do you get your haircut? I can usually go about a month and a half before things start getting dicey. So, six-ish weeks of good, not-stupid looking hair. Yeah, that's worth a good tip. I got plenty of other things I can do to make myself look stupid.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:45 AM on November 6, 2010

I get the $15.00 buzz cut, and round that up to $20.00.

You've got to keep in mind that these days most salon workers are not employed by the salon on any kind of hourly basis. They rent their chairs from the salon, and pay the rent with their portion of the take -- which is just a percentage of what the salon charges at the register. I've heard about salons even being shady with the tip distribution on occasion, so if you've got cash, hand it directly to the stylist instead of adding it to the total at the register if you want to be sure they get the whole tip.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:26 AM on November 6, 2010

At least 20%, although I don't really look at it that way. The haircut is $75, so I give my stylist $20. The guy who blows it out gets $10, and the lady with the magic fingers who does the washing and 5 minute scalp massage gets $5 and my eternal love. No matter how I pay the salon, I always tip in cash. (Actually, I tip in cash for everything, everywhere; adding it to the credit card total is unreliable, as anyone who ever worked for tips knows.)
posted by elizardbits at 6:45 AM on November 6, 2010

It can vary, but 15% is a base. I hate the idea of customary tipping, because that isn't what a tip is. A tip is an extra for exceptional service, not a requirement. And it's being pushed on us as a requirement, when if it were, the "tip" would be put into the actual price of the service/food/whatever.
posted by cmgonzalez at 7:53 AM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

My haircutter is self-employed. The whole $25 goes to her. I have never tipped but would be open to hearing that I should. . . .I tip most people who are employees.
posted by Danf at 7:55 AM on November 6, 2010

I tip 20 percent. My haircut comes with a free touch-up trim a month later, for which a tip an additional $5.

A tip is an extra for exceptional service, not a requirement.

My stylist always gives exceptional service. If she didn't, I would tip 15 percent, and then find a new one.
posted by grouse at 8:06 AM on November 6, 2010

I generally tip 20% although when the stylist's charge for a haircut went up, I kept the tip at the same dollar amount.

FWIW, I go to a local upscale chain (in the US) and, if paying by credit card, the receptionist offers to add in the tip and suggests a choice of 10%, 15%, or 20%.
posted by DrGail at 8:13 AM on November 6, 2010

If she didn't, I would tip 15 percent

Why tip at all if the service is bad? A tip is, by definition, a bonus for exceptional service.
posted by cmgonzalez at 8:17 AM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

exactly 20% every time
posted by Perplexity at 9:09 AM on November 6, 2010

According to LifeBooker, a site that hooks up users in New York and LA with discounted beauty/spa deals,

Tipping Guidelines: "15%-20% of the original, non-discounted, price is customary. Please keep in mind that many service employees rely on gratuities."

So I'd say that 15% is the absolute minimum for a woman's haircut, dye job, manicure, etc. If they gave me wine or coffee during the service, that boosts it to 20%, if they did a stand-out job they get 30%, and if on the same day after my appointment a stranger exclaims over my hair color or cut, I go back to the salon and leave an Andy Jackson and a post-it note relaying the compliment back to the stylist. This once happened twice after a new stylist did an bang-up job on my hair and she has never failed me since.
posted by zoomorphic at 10:06 AM on November 6, 2010

I always figured 15%. But for me, 15% is two or three bucks. The tipping percentage might be higher at higher-end places.
posted by madcaptenor at 10:34 AM on November 6, 2010

I tip 20-30% for all hair services. My color usually takes 2-3 hours (every 8-10 weeks), so I figure that's fair. I haven't had my hair cut in 8 months, but if I did get it cut at the same time as the color, I'd tip the same percentage on the higher total. My hair dresser does everything - color, shampoo, blow-out - so there's no one else to tip.
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 10:36 AM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

I usually tip between $10 and $15 dollars. To put it in perspective, a simple cut is $35 and a cut & color is $85. So I guess around 10%.
posted by splitinfinitive at 11:03 AM on November 6, 2010

For those answering the question, please do re-read and note that the poster LIVES IN THE UK, and if you do not (or at least don't get your hair cut there!) consider passing this one by.

Cultural mores vary widely when it comes to tipping, and as an American I can certainly share what percentage I tip, but that's not the best way to help the OP here.
posted by misha at 11:14 AM on November 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm at 20-30%. It's absolutely worth it, especially if you always see the same person; they really appreciate it and may be willing to spend a little more time and care on your haircut next time...
posted by you're a kitty! at 11:18 AM on November 6, 2010

Mod note: folks -- OP is in the UK, could you please take that into account in your answers, thanks
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:20 AM on November 6, 2010

I got a quick £8 haircut in London this past August (American on vacation) and the stylist was (pleasantly) shocked when I tipped a few pounds on top of the fee.
posted by device55 at 11:27 AM on November 6, 2010

When I lived in the UK, I did not tip at all when I got a haircut.
posted by grouse at 12:30 PM on November 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I used to work as a receptionist in a salon, and the thinking of the hairdressers there is anything less than 20%= stingy tip.

Thus I always tip 20% if I'm happy with what they did.
posted by np312 at 1:24 PM on November 6, 2010

20% to haircutter and colorist (separately).
posted by sdn at 3:37 PM on November 6, 2010

I don't tip mine, as he's the owner (ha also charges more than anyone else in the place for his services). If he doesn't shampoo my hair and one of the other stylists or an apprentice does, I usually tip them $5.

My mom doesn't tip her stylist, who is also the owner of her shop, but at Christmas tends to give her a check for $100-150ish as a Christmas present, which ends up working out to about 10% of what she's paid her throughout the year, and also gave her a wedding present, presents for her kids when they were born, housewarming gifts, and so on.
posted by telophase at 4:27 PM on November 6, 2010

I'm originally from the US, living in the UK, and I've never been sure about what the correct practice is, so I default to better-safe-than-sorry and tip at 15-20%. I tip £7-8 on my £35 haircut. (Sometimes a bit less if I am also purchasing hair product the stylist has recommended, since I figure they're getting commission on that.) I don't get colouring or fancy treatments. I also go to a family-run salon, and they always seem extremely grateful for my (perhaps unexpected) tip.

When I lived in Australia, I quizzed all the women I worked with, and they all swore that I didn't need to tip at all, which always made me really uncomfortable upon leaving the salon, so I usually tipped a bit anyway. FWIW, I've always avoided big, fancy salons, not because I'm unwilling to pay for an expensive haircut, but simply because I find it too stressful to try to figure out how many staff members to tip and how much. I really wish tipping didn't have to be an issue. I'd rather just make a straightforward payment for a service without all the guesswork and second-guesswork.
posted by amusebuche at 5:16 AM on November 7, 2010

I do 15%. But I'm Canadian and kind of a cheap-ass. OTOH, most of my friends and acquaintances never tip hair dressers. (I only started myself after I had a full-time semi-professional job.)
posted by Kurichina at 10:55 AM on November 8, 2010

You can safely ignore every answer given in dollars - tipping is completely different in the UK. Probably the best advice is to round up to the nearest fiver on an expensive hair cut and most hairdressers in the UK would be surprised by a tip on a haircut that costs less than £15.
posted by turkeyphant at 11:12 AM on November 8, 2010