Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72098
BUSINESS SIDE Just like the service I get in a Should I accept tips? restaurant dictating what kind of tip I'm going to leave, the same could apply to my massage. Maybe the massage was good, but the office looked messy and the bathroom was dirty. Maybe it was a therapist I've never visited, and I wasn't impressed with the massage at all. Maybe the therapist spent 10 minutes "clearing my negative energy" before getting down to the massage, even though I neither wanted nor requested that service. Maybe I'm on the road traveling and the fee for the massage is already substantially higher than what I'm used to paying at home. If you've given the best massage Sometimes clients may offer you material gifts instead of money. Is there a difference? During the holidays, we've all gotten those gifts of homemade jelly or cookies from clients. But if someone offered you a free trip to Paris, would you be expecting any strings to be attached to that? Another quandary: is it unethical to give tips? Is a referral fee just a fancier name for a tip? For example, if you're doing outcalls at a fancy hotel and you compensate the concierge for recommending you to clients, it seems like splitting hairs to try to differentiate whether it's a tip or a referral fee. If a doctor refers someone to you, the law—not to mention the Code of Ethics—prohibits any such reward for a referral. In some states, it is also illegal to offer any clients incentives or rewards for referrals. Be sure to know the laws that govern you—every state massage therapy board has a website to help keep you informed. THE TIP CONVERSATION If you have decided for yourself that you object to tipping, a simple sign stating, "Gratuities are not accepted" in your lobby should do the trick. Some people will ignore it and try to tip you anyway, and when that happens, a polite, "Thank you very much; I appreciate the gesture, but I'm charging what I'm worth and I'm really uncomfortable about accepting more," is a good reply. So is, "Thank you so much, but instead of a tip, I'd really appreciate it if you would just take some of my business cards and recommend me to your friends. That would be the best tip I could get." If you've decided for yourself that you will graciously accept tips, your signage could read, "Tips are never expected, but always appreciated." you can give, provided a clean environment for it to happen in, and been as courteous and professional as possible, chances are good you're going to be offered a tip. And if you're not, that shouldn't affect the service you give that person in the event he or she returns—that person should receive the same great massage and the same professional courtesy as the person who leaves one. Therapist's Guide to Business (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011), Plain & Simple Guide to Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Examinations (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009), and One Year to a Successful Massage Therapy Practice (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008). Allen is the owner of THERA-SSAGE, a continuing education facility and alternative wellness clinic of more than a dozen practitioners of different disciplines in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. Visit her website at www.thera-ssage.com. Laura Allen is the author of A Massage NOTE 1. "Tip," Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, Merriam- Webster, 2002, accessed July 2011, http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com. tune in to your practice at ABMPtv 25