How many times have you left your treatment room feeling fantastic after a massage treatment and float outside and think to yourself "Oh No! I forgot to tip my Massage Therapist!!!"?
Or how about adding a "little more" to your bill to count as a tip because you don't have any cash?
I have been in this situation many times over the course of my career as a Massage Therapist, so I wanted to use this platform so I can outline how to properly "tip" an RMT.
Whether or not to accept gratuity has been an ongoing topic for Massage Therapists. It mainly started when RMTs started working in spas & salons, where tipping your service provider is more common. As health practitioners, the real issue we face when it comes to accepting gratuity is how we are portrayed to our clients. A simple way of thinking about it would be would you tip your doctor, chiropractor or dentist? When I began working at the clinic, I shifted the focus of my practice to a more clinical/therapeutic perspective. Watching you progress through your treatment plan and improve your life makes me happy to know that I made the right career choice. That is why I love being a health practitioner!
Back on topic - if I were to expect you to add a tip to your treatment, it would label me as a service provider as opposed to to a health practitioner, which undermines why I fell in love with this profession in the first place. The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (our regulatory body) does not have any policies or positions on this topic, so there is no rule stating that we either can or cannot accept tips which puts this topic in the "grey area". I am aware that some people may be offended if I say that I do not accept tips, that is why I do accept tips, HOWEVER I do not expect them. Having you say that you enjoyed the treatment and/or notice an improvement with your symptoms is a gratuity that I will always welcome (even constructive criticism).
So how can you properly tip a Massage Therapist while avoiding this grey area?
The solution - A referral!
Being self employed means we have to invest both time and money into marketing to get new clients to generate and maintain a steady income. So if you are happy with the treatments that I provide, the BEST way to tip me it to tell your friends and family about me and if they are interested in booking an appointment, giving them my contact information.
I hope this article has cleared up any misconceptions when it comes to tipping me after your treatment.
What do you think about this? Should the CMTO make a policy or standard regarding tipping your RMT? Do you think you would change the way you view your treatment plan if I expected tips?
As always, thank you for stopping by and reading this article, and I hope you have a great day!
Reference:
FEES AND GRATUITIES. (n.d.). Retrieved April 08, 2016, from https://secure.rmtao.com/Careers/your_mt_career/fees_and_gratuities.htm
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