People like me in the esthetics business are also consumers and clients of these services. I try to visit different places in the area, or when I am away on a business trip. It’s a great way to get new ideas, and to compare what we’re doing at Total Body Clinic. There’s always room for improvement, so if I see something I like, I try to incorporate it into our business.

On the flipside, there are also things I strongly dislike when I visit spas, skin-care salons, and massage establishments. One of those things would be signs all over the place – in the reception area, dressing rooms, bathrooms, treatment rooms – reminding me that therapists work on tips. Wow! Who knew? I think most clients of a spa, especially an upscale one, realize that therapists, as service providers, depend on tips their livelihood, and gratefully appreciate receiving a gratuity for a job well done. I can’t imagine leaving a spa without having left something for the staff members who just pampered me for the last couple of ours!

At Total Body Clinic, we also greatly appreciate receiving tips, but they are not expected. Tipping should always be left to the discretion of the client. As a client, you will never be reminded to leave a gratuity before you leave.

Another pet peeve of ours is seeing spas and salons requiring clients to leave tips in cash only, never on a credit card. The only reason for such a rule is to hide this income from tax authorities and allow the salons to pay less to their own staffs. Maybe the salons will argue that this keeps their overhead and prices lower, but demanding that clients be complicit in this approach just seems wrong to us. By all means, at Total Body Clinic, if you would like to leave a tip on a credit card, you are welcome to do so!