Money for the gun show

December 17, 2011 6:09 AM

How much do you tip a personal trainer you see once a week.

I'd like to give cash, but it feels tacky since we now know each other so well.

posted by Unred to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

You're already paying them for their service. Probably a fairly good amount. I don't see a need for tipping, unless they are just an employee of the gym who doesn't get a cut of the fee or something like that.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:24 AM on December 17, 2011 [3 favorites]

I tipped my (2x/wk) trainer a week's wage in cash, plus some treats for her dog. If cold hard cash seems to impersonal, maybe give as a gift cert to a somewhere you know s/he'd like -- EMS, REI, Title Nine, etc.
posted by apparently at 6:24 AM on December 17, 2011

I agree with Thorzdad. You shouldn't tip the personal trainer. He's getting paid. In fact with the Christmas season in all, he should tip you as a thank you for your business.
posted by 2manyusernames at 6:31 AM on December 17, 2011

You are not expected to tip a personal trainer, my contract even stated that gifts were not necessary to give to personal trainers. Although, if you really want to give your personal trainer a gift for Christmas then give them something that they will enjoy during their own workouts such as good weight lifting gloves, new ear buds, or a new water bottle.
posted by sincerely-s at 6:47 AM on December 17, 2011

I think of my trainer just as I do the lovely person who cleans my house: someone who is helping me live a much better life than I would otherwise, and for whose service I am profoundly grateful. Tipping/Christmas gift seems very appropriate. FWIW, I do get small holiday gifts from them as well.
posted by apparently at 6:51 AM on December 17, 2011 [3 favorites]

My wife and I don't tip our personal trainer, but we did give them a 50.00 gift card to a sporting goods store for Christmas. He was very appreciative, and as a result the workouts were more intense for a month or so. On the whole, I'm not sure it was a good idea.
posted by Mooski at 7:31 AM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

With things like trainers, manicurists, massage therapists etc., I tend to round up. So an $18 pedicure is $30, if it was great, $25 if it was so-so. A $90, 90-minute massage comes in at $110 or $120. But a trainer doesn't necessarily get a tip per session, if they're a regular, so a Christmas tip is basically an amount between one session's fees and two sessions' fees, depending on how well you did this year.

Almost no one dislikes being palmed a wad of cash with the words "thank you for everything."
posted by RJ Reynolds at 9:29 AM on December 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

(And I would argue that especially massage therapists and trainers that work out of gyms, who give a hefty cut to the gym (reasonably, sure!), should get cash tips as well.)
posted by RJ Reynolds at 9:30 AM on December 17, 2011