Do you tip an esthetician? Do you tip for laser hair removal or tip for CoolSculpting? Do you tip a doctor for Botox. Get answers to all your questions about med spa etiquette and tipping.
Non-invasive procedures, such as Botox, CoolSculpting, or laser skin resurfacing are the fastest growing group of treatments in the cosmetic medicine industry. This boom has led to the emergence of medical spas, a hybrid between the doctor’s office and the day spa. Medspas may be owned by a doctor or may only employ a doctor to perform medical treatments such as cosmetic injections. In addition med spas comonly employ nurses, estheticians, laser technicians and other cosmetic professionals who are certified in various cosmetic treatments. These spas try to deliver the best of both worlds, offering a luxurious experience with the ambiance of a day spa with cosmetic medical treatments that require clinical expertise, the use of advanced technology and expensive machinery.
When it comes to medspa etiquette, tipping can get weird
Mixing medical clinics with day spas has created a grey area for clients who are unsure about proper tipping etiquette at a medical spa. Tipping Etiquette at day spas that offer facials and massages or hair salons is simple: Tip. Typically 10%-20%. Tipping etiquette at doctor’s office or medical clinic is also simple. Don’t tip. But what about medical spas?
If you are wondering whether tipping at med spas align with proper med spa etiquette, you’re bound to get various answers. The consensus is divided. Some medical spas refuse tips, thinking it inappropriate to accept tips in a medical setting. Other medical spas openly welcome tips to better compensate their aestheticians or masseuse.
Much of tipping etiquette for medical spas depends on the service being provided and the person providing the service. Do you tip an esthetician? According to Adriana Martino, an aesthetician and co-owner of SKINNEY Medspa, a premiere Medical Spa in NYC, “tipping is at the discretion of the client and is not compulsory.” Do you tip for Botox or other medical treatments that are cosmetic? It depends. But once again, it’s totally up to you. According to Dr. Hadley King, a NYC dermatologist at SKINNEY Medspa, doctors typically don’t expect a tip. Dr. King explains that before the emergence of the hybrid med spa, most clinics offering cosmetic treatments were owned by doctors. Tipping a doctor was not proper etiquette. Now a days, doctors performing medical treatments at medspas are often not the owners of the spa, and so a tip “could be justified, but for me I think it’s pretty ingrained that I don’t expect a tip.”
There’s a lot more than tipping when it comes to med spa etiquette. Learn all the do’s and don’ts of Med spas here.>>
Tipping on facials, laser hair removal, or peels.
Do you tip for laser hair removal? Do you tip for microdermabrasion or chemical peel? You can. Many medical spas are high end, one shop-beauty-spots that offer a variety of cosmetic services. If you patron your local medical spa for a service that is traditionally performed at a day spa or salon, tipping the standard 10-20% may be appropriate. If you are patronizing your medical spa for a medical treatment, such as Botox, Fat reduction, or hair restoration, especially if these services are performed by a medical professional such as a doctor or nurse, tips may not be expected or accepted.
To tip or not to tip: The best way to find out:
Because different medical spa owners have different tipping policies and mentalities, the best thing to do, if in doubt, is ask the receptionist whether gratuity is expected. Receptionist field this question frequently and they may be your surest bet for asking about tipping discretely.
When it comes to cosmetic treatments, clients can encounter a wide spectrum of prices, a facial might cost $40 while an extensive fat reduction treatment plan, may ring up at $4,000 +. If your medical spa worker accepts gratuity and is providing excellent service on a high end cosmetic treatment, rest assured, proper tipping etiquette is no longer 20%. When treatments start costing hundreds of dollars, most clients who want to express the appreciation with gratuity hand the specialist performing the treatment with a $20-$40 dollar tip.
Showing your gratuity without tipping
One of the best ways to show your gratuity after receiving stellar services from a medical spa is through online praise.
Leave a coment on RealSelf, Yelp, or Google
Businesses in all industries are greatly impacted by their reviews on rating sites such as yelp or google plus. For medical spas, RealSelf is another influential rating site.
Leave a review on Real Self >>
Tweet or Post about your Experience
Social media shout outs are virtual gold for medical spas. Jump on the spas Facebook page, or tag them in a tweet or post.
Online Reviews
When it comes to tipping your medspa, there are other ways outside of leaving cash. In fact, many of the best ways to “tip” or help your medspa do not cost you a single cent and will, in return, help them out tremendously.
Leave a Google Review
After you have a successful service at Skinney Medspa, consider leaving an online review on Google. Be as detailed as possible about your experience, the services you received, your results, and how helpful the staff was. The more details you include, the better. This review is an excellent way for your medspa to receive new clients organically.
First, provide helpful feedback. A good review for your medspa includes enough details to give other potential customers a feel for what happened. Talk about the level of customer service you received. This increases the relevance of your review by addressing the overall experience, including the type of customer service you received.
Leave a Review on Their Spa Website
Google reviews are fantastic, but you can also leave reviews on the spa’s actual website. This is another opportunity to help include positive feedback and help your medspa.
Utilize Social Media Outlets
In 2022, we know that online reviews are not confined to Google and internet websites. Social media profiles play a large part in how people perceive businesses. After you have a successful aesthetics service, think about providing positive feedback on that spa’s social media profiles.
Mention the spa, services, and staff
When expressing your gratitude online, make sure to list the name of the spa and the service provided. And if you really want to do something nice, specifically name the employee who provided you with excellent customer service.
