so if the owner is your stylist, you don't have to tip? i think i would feel funny!

My stylist is the owner of his salon and I pretty much always tip him 20% because he does an aweosme job on mt hair and it's easier for me to get in next time

I go to my friend's salon and she does my hair. She expects that we over tip her for each service. I don't know how to get out of that habit. We started with her when she was at another salon th she opened her own place. We knew she was being screwed by her other salon owner so we always tipped her well. We've been with her for 8 years. The last 3 have been at her own place. Our tips are almost 40 percent of the service. OMG. I'm kind of stuck here with what to do.

The owner of the salon/day spa I used to work at always got tipped by her ladies/gents.
Keep in mind that for smaller business owners...not celeb stylists like Ken Paves...a lot of money goes to the house but that goes directly to payroll and upkeep of the salon, not straight into the owner's pocket. If they are successful they can make a good chunk of change but that is separate from the services they provide. If they are exceptional and work magic on you, they deserve a tip just like any other stylist.

My hairdresser rocks and she is the owner so I still tip her, she does good work. By that logic I should tip my coffee stand girl because she's the owner?

chatnoir- 40% is rough! Does she at least give you a break as friends on the cost of the cut? Like bella said, if they are giving you a free service or a break somewhere, then I would tip more. You are all ready in the habit of tipping so much, but if she isn't giving you a good deal as a friend, why are you tipping her so much? I know, kind of hard to get out of now, but maybe talk it out with your friends.

OMG!!! I work at a hair salon here in NYC and I get the same question all the time 'Should I tip him???'. I always say yes (unless the client didn't like what he did). Honestly I think that if everybody gets tips why not the owner as well. It would be unfair if he/she didn't.

I tip very high ALWAYS.. even on bad service. I just know I could never cut hair.. too difficult/labor intensive to not tip.

does she have her name on her shirt in case she forgets it?

I tip my stylist and she owns her own place. She's by herself though. She's always very appreciative and I just love her, so I don't feel bad about it.

I don't think you should tip salon owners. And the argument that "a lot of their money goes towards the up-keep of the salon" is not valid.

They are the proprietor and business owner. If they aren't able to provide for themselves and their business at their current prices, then they need to reflect that in what they charge people.

I tip my stylist, but not the owner, since he has his own clients. I always tip at least 20-30% (depending on how my checkbook looks ), and I've been going to the smae stylist for a little over a year now.

YES!

i always do, and the guy that cuts my hair, is the only person in the City that knows how to cut CURLY hair

so i tip him good!

I worked at a salon in HS so I knew this one. She would never ever take one.

So i am supposed to tip my stylist and the owner???

Why am i tipping twice???

I already tip the stylist...that would just be way too expensive!

I tip the person who does my hair...if that happens to be the owner of the salon, then she gets tipped.

guys,
im going to get my hair done tomorrow..the stylist i go to just got voted best in the city...my trim is $70 she has an assistant who washes, conditions, and then blows out the hair..so i tip both..last time i went to her i gave her $10 and the assistant $5..is that sufficient?! $70 for a trim is a bit pricey but I have long hair and shes great...

I tip the stylist, who is never the owner. I don't understand this question. Do people look for the owner and tip them too?

My hairdresser started out working at the salon and then bought it, so I still tip her, of course. I think I would feel funny not tipping anyway, but I figure that even if it's considered uncouth to tip, I can still do it since I went to her before she was the owner.

no- you don't go looking for the owner after someone else cuts your hair! The question is if your hairdresser happens to ALSO be the owner of the salon who basically takes in all the cash in the place, do you need to tip them. If they do a fantastic job and you want to make sure they can do it again, but it isn't neccesary as bella said (since they are getting everything anyways as owners).

i only tip the person who cuts my hair. she is also the one that washes it. the owner has her own clients who can tip her if they want. i'm moving though, so i will need to find a new person in dc. anyone know a good one?

Here's my question: I got my hair colored-$140 + $28 tip. Color washed out at the first shampoo. Went back & had the color redone for no charge, should I have tipped the stylist? I gave her only $10, didn't want to, as it was a major inconvenience, but I didn't want to seem cheap, either.

I never tip the owner. Like Bella said, it isn't necessary. I totally agree with that.
Also, I read it in Ann Landers. Ha!

What Bella is saying is that if the person who cuts your hair also happens to be the owner of the salon you do not have to tip him or her since they're making all the profits off your service. I beleive that you should tip him or her if they did a great job on you that went above and beyond (that could be because I plan on opening my own salon haha)

I consider tipping a thank-you and customer feedback. (Even though I'm against the whole concept of tipping someone for doing their job, until it goes away and they get paid accordingly, I will have to tip.)

would just feel too weird not tipping ... even though i know the etiquette allows otherwise ...

I always tip my stylist or my manicurist/pedicurist really high. I don't go to the salon that often (maybe three times a year), when I do, I kind of understand how pretty tough their job is and I always make sure to tip really good.

yes I think so. after all, if not for them, you wouldn't get nice, lustre hair all done in an afternoon.

i always tip the person who does my hair was well as the person who washes my hair.

in my salon they are very discreet about it, you just put your tip in an envelope addressed to the person and from you, and they give it to them at the end of the day. so you dont have to have that awkward come up to them in a middle of a client.

they also always tell me who washed my hair (they call them assistants) so that i dont have that embarassing moment of not remembering the name. (since its not usually the same person every time, the way my stylist is).

and of course, i always tip somebody who does my nails/eyebrows/waxing etc

oh, but i would not tip the owner unless it was the owner who cut my hair. actually, i dont even think ive ever met the owner of my salon!

oh, and mars0803, i tip my hairstylist $20 - the cut costs $85, but he sculpts my hair to my face, and lately ive been getting HUGE cuts - like chopping of my long long hair into a pixie. and the assistant $5. i think if its just a trim, you are ok with less.

my stylist gives free bang trims, so since thats just a small trim for that i would not tip him $20, but definitely tip him $10.

I read soemwhere that a simple thank you crd or flowers/box of chocolates is nice to give salons..

i completely disagree. i tip when the service is exceptional, as well as when it's not. tipping is a given, not an option. i tip whoever does my hair, including the owner, and the ppl who wash & dry. i thought it was common sense, especially since these ppl make most of their pay from it. don't we all tip when we get our nails done? waxed? etc...? it's the same thing.

I totally disagree! I'm an esthetician and I have A LOT of hairstylist friends and a few of them own salons. Your stylist SHOULD be tipped if you liked the work regardless if they own the salon or not. It is a rare occassion that someone is SOLE owner of the salon. Profits are almost always split between 2-6 partners. PLUS it costs a heck of a lot of money to have the salon up and running! If they deserve it you should tip them!

My stylist owns the place, so technically I'm tiping the hairdresser and the owner all at once. =]

I have been back and forth on this topic with myself. The girl who does my cut and color is the sole owner of her salon and I had always heard that you don't tip the owner. She always has someone else wash my hair and another separate assistant help with the color. I of course tip the 2 assistants and usually end up giving some sort of tip to the owner (who does my hair) but she is not cheap and then I am tipping 3 people on top of it which almost adds up to the price of a haircut. I usually end up giving her some sort of tip, I would give more if she didn't have someone else helping out with the color.

I've been going to the same stylist for years now and we are very close friends. His wife used to babysit me when I was a toddler and we were next door neighbors for a long time too, When he finally got his own salon, my mom and I would tip every time, but then his prices starting going higher and higher. If I'm not in a financial crunch, I will leave a tip because he does do an excellent job. But they both know us so well, that I don't feel bad not tipping. The last time I got a cut and color and they actually gave me a great discount when I told them my financial situation, so the next time I go, I will defnitely tip well. If I didn't know the stylist well, and he/she did a wonderful job, I would feel weird not tipping in that case.

true true/

This is bogus. Update your website. tip means you appreciate the service. Owner or not. The answer is Yes you do tip, A big chunk does not go to the owner, what world are you in? Rent starts at @ 150.00 a week at low end salons but low end salon can make $1000.00 a week. Wheres the big chunk? If you don't tip we may not accommodate you when we know a tipper wants the same time frame. We do whats best for us. Why make the tipper lose out. They are paying for this time plus a bit extra.