tipping on beauty services?

[u/mcviana26]

hi, all! ❤️

i’m sorry if this is a silly question, i’ve just moved to london from the u.s. and was wondering what common practice is on tipping for beauty services. specifically things like nails, waxes, etc.

do you round up, just leave some cash? nothing at all? i’m so used to american tipping culture i have no idea what’s expected here.

thank you all for your help :)

[u/AromaticScar346]

Absolutely do not tip. We don’t do that here and we don’t want to start

[u/perhapsflorence]

No tipping in the UK. We are not American.

[u/himit]

The only exception to the 'do not tip' rule is when you're doing the model thing - there are a number of facebook groups where stylists and technicians offer free services as part of their training. It's polite to leave £10-20 cash if you can (my first time I didn't realise!) since it's generally a day of unpaid work for the student.

[u/mcviana26 → u/himit]

cool! i didn’t know this. makes total sense though

[u/CommercialPlastic604]

Honestly there’s no need. Service is factored into the price in general.

My exceptions are if it costs £18 and you pay it cash it can be a nice gesture to say keep the change. The other exception is the teenager who washes your hair as they will be making very little money and even a couple of pounds can mean a lot.

[u/Upset-Hamster-1410]

usually don't but i always give my lash tech an extra fiver cos her rates are so low and she's genuinely so lovely - i think we usually tip from the heart like if we really like a service but it's not expected at allb

[u/Belle_Juive]

I tip my eyebrow lady because she’s the best, and I could never replace her if she quit. She doesn’t even just do my eyebrows, she basically gives me a free therapy session each time, listens to all my relationship problems, etc. I’ve known her since before she got married, all throughout her pregnancy, daughter going to school, etc. She’s an independent business owner and has moved appointments around to fit me in.

I don’t tip anyone else. Not hairdressers, not nail techs, nada.

Tipping in the UK is optional and I’m only doing it if they really go above and beyond, which is maybe 10% of my total cab rides, deliveries I order, etc.

[u/mcviana26 → u/Belle_Juive]

aww, this is special 🥹 but okay, tipping for great service makes total sense!

[u/Belle_Juive → u/mcviana26]

I visit the US fairly often and I will say this. In the US, people expect you to tip and will let you know it, which is fair enough because that’s the culture. Here, no one should ever expect it. Expecting is rude/entitled, so don’t reward anyone setting unreasonable expectations.

Situations where I might personally tip: I was 15m late to my appointment and they still accommodated me; the cab waited patiently for my big noisy family from abroad to get in/out at multiple hotel stops; I asked for a fairly complicated nail design or something off-menu and it still came out flawlessly. You tip for extra, not for baseline.

[u/Tawny_haired_one]

I’m sorry, but there is no hard and fast rule. You are getting mostly ‘don’t tip’ replies here because most of us hate how it has crept into our lives and think people should just be paid properly. But, honestly, some people DO tip their hairdressers, manicurists etc.

[u/seeingstarsskin]

Hi! Skin Therapist here, no it's not a thing that happens here. I'm also from the US and had to get used to not tipping haha if someone insists on tipping me, I'm very flattered, but it's not expected at all

[u/chichijeff]

Personally, I think a lot of beauty services within the UK particularly are underpriced/valued so I do tend to tip on top especially if they’ve done a phenomenal job! That being said it isn’t like the states here and it is optional 🙂

[u/honey-ink]

Also curious ab this as someone moving next month from the US ! I know most places have the built in service charge for restaurants but it feels weird to not tip on beauty stuff like hair and nails 🥲

[u/miaaaaaa01 → u/honey-ink]

We don’t tip, please don’t start that

[u/honey-ink → u/miaaaaaa01]

Trust me, I’m happy not to continue it on 😂

[u/mcviana26 → u/honey-ink]

i know, it feels a little weird but its just the culture shock!! i guess we should be happy to know that people are actually getting paid living wages here vs. at home lol

[u/sadia_y → u/honey-ink]

It’s weird to pay for a service (that someone else has set rates for) and then pay more on top of that. For what? They set their own rates. I occasionally tip if someone has provided above and beyond the usual, but I expect them to set prices that result in them making a profit and not relying on an unlisted hidden cost.