How much should you tip a hair stylist?
I usually just go to my local barber for a $12 haircut, but I'm going to go to a new place to actually get a good cut, and I don't know how much to tip. The price is $40.
The answer of course is it depends on where you go and the relationship you have with your barber.
On our standard gift cards at "Grooming Lounge": http://www.groominglounge.com (a Men's only barbershop/spa) we include a customary 15% graituity. The guest is more than welcome to tip above that if they feel the service/cut is exceptional. If you have a barber who regularly cuts your hair to your liking, 20-30% usually falls in the norm range of good tips.
A good haircut goes a long way and can last a month sometimes... the last thing you want to deal with is a bad cut having sideburns off, hair uneven or just plain looking bad. If you don't feel like you look good, then you probably won't be as confident in your job and daily life. Find that barber, pay the extra few bucks on the tip, and stick with them if they give a good cut. It is well worth it.
8 Answers
If it's a decent haircut 10 bucks is OK. If you absolutely love it and want to come back do 20. The best way to tip anybody is to figure how much you would like to get and pay that. Or, figure how little you would have to get to think of the guy as a dirtbag and don't do that.
The answer of course is it depends on where you go and the relationship you have with your barber.
On our standard gift cards at "Grooming Lounge": http://www.groominglounge.com (a Men's only barbershop/spa) we include a customary 15% graituity. The guest is more than welcome to tip above that if they feel the service/cut is exceptional. If you have a barber who regularly cuts your hair to your liking, 20-30% usually falls in the norm range of good tips.
A good haircut goes a long way and can last a month sometimes... the last thing you want to deal with is a bad cut having sideburns off, hair uneven or just plain looking bad. If you don't feel like you look good, then you probably won't be as confident in your job and daily life. Find that barber, pay the extra few bucks on the tip, and stick with them if they give a good cut. It is well worth it.
If its your barber, never. Barbers are family friends that see you grow up and what not. Its an insult.
If its your hair stylist, never. This is because real men don't go to hair stylists. You should know that by now.
I usually do about 20% or so, perhaps more around the holidays
@Grooming Lounge
-Including a "customary 15% graituity" seems to defeat the purpose in my opinion...customer's will tip if they receive good service, they shouldn't necessarily be required to tip.
15%. Up it to 20% if they shampoo your hair and you like the scalp massage.
15-20% or more if the service is good. Most stylists don't make a ton of $ working in the salon and a good portion of their take home $ is from their tips. So if you are happy make sure you let the stylist know and tip generously.
Depends a lot on where you're getting it cut, as well as the kind of relationship you have with the stylist. But most of all, it depends on the service you got and how happy you are with the end result.
If you're going to a cheap neighborhood place or something like Supercuts or Costcutters for a basic buzz trimming, I would go for $2-$5 (it's a $10-$13 cut max). But from there it only gets higher for the boutique places with specialized stylists and so forth. Never done that, so I don't know.
If I get a great cut and the person is friendly and gentle with their tools, I tend to go the extra mile and tip them about 25-30% the cost of the cut itself.