Tip Or Not At Hairdresser?

[Troyron]

After some research I found myself a hairdresser at Siam Center that came recommended by other expats. Got a shampoo (with the normal head massage for 3 min), then an acceptable haircut and styling. All in all, I guess the shampoo girl worked on me for 5 min and the haircut/stylist took 20 min.

I was satisfied with the whole thing, but I found myself in wondering if I should tip them or not. When I ask my wife and her friends (upper middle class), they never tip at the hairdresser. So I guess thai people dont tip as a general at hairdressers. They consider it all part of the service charge. Searching online, it seems like farangs tip. So I was wondering what you guys tip or not? And how much?

The haircut was 450 baht and I gave the hairdresser 100 baht and the shampo girl 50 baht. In many countries in the West, it is normal to tip 10%. So this was much more, and dont think I will tip that much next time. Then again, why should farangs tip, when thai people dont tip?

Would be interesting to hear what thai people on this site do, and you other guys and gals?

[Bangkokhatter]

I go to my local hairdresser just outside of BKK , she does a fantastic job, all in for 60 Baht, I usually give her a 100, cos it is so cheap and she does take care real good, she did tell me once that most people do not tip though.

If i was paying 450 no way would i be giving a tip.

[Troyron]

I go to my local hairdresser just outside of BKK , she does a fantastic job, all in for 60 Baht, I usually give her a 100, cos it is so cheap and she does take care real good, she did tell me once that most people do not tip though.

If i was paying 450 no way would i be giving a tip.

60 baht!!! That is a good price, but I guess its possible if you are not located in a "fancy" shopping center with high rent. The place I went to had maybe 12-14 employees. So they need some income.

[Gippy]

In our salon most Thai customers do tip. A normal tip after a 100 baht wash and dry would be 20 baht for the shampoo girl as an example. It's not much from each person but adds up over the day and makes a nice bonus for them.

The Thai customers that give the best tips are middle aged and up, the young ones are poor tippers.

We have a lot of foreign customers who sometimes give stupidly high tips, more than a days wages for a shampoo girl!

[Naam]

In our salon most Thai customers do tip. A normal tip after a 100 baht wash and dry would be 20 baht for the shampoo girl as an example. It's not much from each person but adds up over the day and makes a nice bonus for them.

The Thai customers that give the best tips are middle aged and up, the young ones are poor tippers.

We have a lot of foreign customers who sometimes give stupidly high tips, more than a days wages for a shampoo girl!

there are also some foreigners who think that using the adjective "stupid" when referring to what other foreigners do with their money is quite stupid not warranted. for a couple of years i used to pay 400 Baht for haircut/shampoo driving downtown Pattaya and parking my car after cruising around 10-15 minutes to find a place.

then i saw i sign (walking distance from my home) "haircut 60 Baht", gave it a try and was asked a total of 80 Baht for shampoo, haircut, blow-dry and trimming my moustache as well as eyebrows... all an excellent job. since then i frequent this shop and pay for the afore-mentioned services happily and stupidly 200 Baht

oops! forgot to mention that in my German hometown i pay for the same services 1,066 Baht (expected tip of 200 Baht NOT included) plus at least 185 Baht parking fee (if i make it in less than one hour).

Edited April 6, 2012 by Naam

[DP25]

I would not tip on a 450 baht haircut. That is already expensive. On an 80 baht haircut, I'd give them 100 and let them keep the change as a tip.

Tipping in Thailand isn't normally based on a fixed percent of the price. You don't need to tip 15% of your meal or haircut price. Thai people do tip, but people will just round up the total price and let them keep the change, or just tip a 20. 150 baht is way excessive in my opinion unless its someone specific you know and like and have been going to a long time. I would never do that with some random hairdresser I'll never see again, way too much.

Some places pressure farang to tip a lot but they're just taking advantage of people that don't know better. A farang gogo bar that expects a 20 or 40 baht tip after every beer you order is just taking the piss out of you cause Thais wouldn't do that. They'd tip a 20 baht bill or two for getting served for the entire night

Edited April 6, 2012 by DP25

[Gweiloman]

In our salon most Thai customers do tip. A normal tip after a 100 baht wash and dry would be 20 baht for the shampoo girl as an example. It's not much from each person but adds up over the day and makes a nice bonus for them.

The Thai customers that give the best tips are middle aged and up, the young ones are poor tippers.

We have a lot of foreign customers who sometimes give stupidly high tips, more than a days wages for a shampoo girl!

Where is your place and how much do you charge for a cut and wash?

[Gweiloman]

In our salon most Thai customers do tip. A normal tip after a 100 baht wash and dry would be 20 baht for the shampoo girl as an example. It's not much from each person but adds up over the day and makes a nice bonus for them.

The Thai customers that give the best tips are middle aged and up, the young ones are poor tippers.

We have a lot of foreign customers who sometimes give stupidly high tips, more than a days wages for a shampoo girl!

there are also some foreigners who think that using the adjective "stupid" when referring to what other foreigners do with their money is quite stupid not warranted. for a couple of years i used to pay 400 Baht for haircut/shampoo driving downtown Pattaya and parking my car after cruising around 10-15 minutes to find a place.

then i saw i sign (walking distance from my home) "haircut 60 Baht", gave it a try and was asked a total of 80 Baht for shampoo, haircut, blow-dry and trimming my moustache as well as eyebrows... all an excellent job. since then i frequent this shop and pay for the afore-mentioned services happily and stupidly 200 Baht

oops! forgot to mention that in my German hometown i pay for the same services 1,066 Baht (expected tip of 200 Baht NOT included) plus at least 185 Baht parking fee (if i make it in less than one hour).

In Asia, your practice is commonly known as "spoiling the market" and generally does not go down well with anyone except the recipient. You probably don't care what others think and rightly so, but just thought I'd point it out to you.

Last time I checked, I'm still in Thailand, not Germany.

[edwardandtubs]

Tipping a hairdresser is just ridiculous. You're paying for a service and you're getting that service. So what is the tip supposed to be? A service charge? On top of the service charge you've already paid?

[Geekfreaklover]

I tip my barber 20 baht on a 60 baht haircut. The locals also tip and the twenty bahts are pinned onto a "money tree" outside the barbershop for good luck or something.

If I were to be paying 450 baht in a salon (might happen one day!) I'd simply hand over a purple five and let them keep the change.

[Gippy]

In our salon most Thai customers do tip. A normal tip after a 100 baht wash and dry would be 20 baht for the shampoo girl as an example. It's not much from each person but adds up over the day and makes a nice bonus for them.

The Thai customers that give the best tips are middle aged and up, the young ones are poor tippers.

We have a lot of foreign customers who sometimes give stupidly high tips, more than a days wages for a shampoo girl!

Where is your place and how much do you charge for a cut and wash?

Near the government complex and immigration, men's wash and cut is 180 baht.

[edwardandtubs]

oops! forgot to mention that in my German hometown i pay for the same services 1,066 Baht (expected tip of 200 Baht NOT included) plus at least 185 Baht parking fee (if i make it in less than one hour).

I knew the euro was in trouble but I had no idea baht was legal tender in Germany nowadays.

[Payboy]

then i saw i sign (walking distance from my home) "haircut 60 Baht", gave it a try and was asked a total of 80 Baht for shampoo, haircut, blow-dry and trimming my moustache as well as eyebrows...

You shouldn't have let them touch those eyebrows. Look what they've done to your forehead.

[4evermaat]

The Thai customers that give the best tips are middle aged and up, the young ones are poor tippers.

We have a lot of foreign customers who sometimes give stupidly high tips, more than a days wages for a shampoo girl!

i bet the workers dont think it is so stupid. 50-70 baht for my haircuts, and i usually give 20 baht.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from TV android app.

[4evermaat]

Tipping a hairdresser is just ridiculous. You're paying for a service and you're getting that service. So what is the tip supposed to be? A service charge? On top of the service charge you've already paid?

not sure about thailand, but many cases the barber/hairdresser can make for great conversation. and the worker gets a chance to network with persons of various influence.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from TV android app.

[tutsiwarrior]

the haircut is 50 baht and I normally pay 100...the barber never expects more than 50 but he has a touch...a regular Edward Scissorhands he is and he never cuts 'falang' hair other than mine...

(when in Nashville the barber that cut my hair the first time when I was about 2 y.o. refused negro customers as he said that: 'I can't cut that nappy hair, no way...' he had an evil, unshaven countenance but I always went to his shop for sentimental reasons...and he always asked: 'what you up to, boy?')

Edited April 6, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[Payboy]

I just leave them some hair. Guess they make pasta or something with it.

[Troyron]

Well then I know. Im not tippoing on a haircut for 450 baht. If I find a cheaper place which is still good, I might tip 20 baht or leave the change. You learn as long as you live

I did actually not want to tip, but after searching the internet and reading up, other farangs seem to tip. It stops or are limited to 20 baht today.

[SantiSuk]

Tipping is an entirely personal choice almost anywhere in the world, unless you worry about what people think about you.

Having set out the cheap charlie's mantra, actually I tip quite heavily for a Brit, particularly if it's a place I want to have a continuing customer relationship: that's probably because I lived in the US for a couple of years, where waitresses would chase you into the street if you would 'forget' the tip. I occasionally would tough even that out if the service was very late or shoddy.

In Thailand I lay down a tip and my wife intercepts it and cuts it in half. My hairdresser in Issaan charges 40 baht and I pay 60 or 70 baht. If I gave her 100 she would probably faint and I would worry more about getting a reputation for being a show off in the village, than worrying about her thinking I was cheapskate.

[jinjinswing]

Its totally foreign for Australians to tip, and it does not come natural i can tell you, i under pressure from TGF tip, and i tell her not to tip taxi drivers just round off since they pick and choose there fares...as for hairdressers...i got ripped off the very first time i had a cut and they never get more than what they charge.

I think we farangs should not tip as it ends up being expected, i am happy to tip when service exceeds expectations..and so should you.

[pipo1000]

In our salon most Thai customers do tip. A normal tip after a 100 baht wash and dry would be 20 baht for the shampoo girl as an example. It's not much from each person but adds up over the day and makes a nice bonus for them.

The Thai customers that give the best tips are middle aged and up, the young ones are poor tippers.

We have a lot of foreign customers who sometimes give stupidly high tips, more than a days wages for a shampoo girl!

there are also some foreigners who think that using the adjective "stupid" when referring to what other foreigners do with their money is quite stupid not warranted. for a couple of years i used to pay 400 Baht for haircut/shampoo driving downtown Pattaya and parking my car after cruising around 10-15 minutes to find a place.

then i saw i sign (walking distance from my home) "haircut 60 Baht", gave it a try and was asked a total of 80 Baht for shampoo, haircut, blow-dry and trimming my moustache as well as eyebrows... all an excellent job. since then i frequent this shop and pay for the afore-mentioned services happily and stupidly 200 Baht

oops! forgot to mention that in my German hometown i pay for the same services 1,066 Baht (expected tip of 200 Baht NOT included) plus at least 185 Baht parking fee (if i make it in less than one hour).

I guess we used the same shop,ONCE.He must be the one down the road that has 60 Baht written on his door window,but said 200 when he finished.

[pipo1000]

My suggestion is that you always leave a small tip if you intend to use the hairdresser again in the near future.

It is quite inconvenient if you hear next time the hairdresser saying to you,please quickly put this in your pocket before the boss notices, when the subject he is talking about is your ear in fact.

Edited April 6, 2012 by pipo1000

[Naam]

In Asia, your practice is commonly known as "spoiling the market" and generally does not go down well with anyone except the recipient. You probably don't care what others think and rightly so, but just thought I'd point it out to you.

Last time I checked, I'm still in Thailand, not Germany.

i'm well aware that i am spoiling the market with my haircut tips. recently i was informed by the Bank of Thailand that my tipping caused an increase of the price of rice, cooking oil, the price of a loaded S-class Mercedes and the immobile property prices in Nakhon Nowhere.

right you are that i don't care what others think, wrong you are to point that out to me and last time i checked i found out that i don't care a flying fart in which country you live and what does not go down well in Asia according to experts like you.

[necronx99]

I don't care whether you tip or not. I'd be more worried about paying 450baht for a freakin haircut in LOS.

[Naam]

I guess we used the same shop,ONCE.He must be the one down the road that has 60 Baht written on his door window,but said 200 when he finished.

wrong assumption. nobody says anything except for the first time when "80 Baht" was the answer on my question "how much?"

[Naam]

In Thailand I lay down a tip and my wife intercepts it and cuts it in half.

she'd do that only once if she was my wife.

[Naam]

then i saw i sign (walking distance from my home) "haircut 60 Baht", gave it a try and was asked a total of 80 Baht for shampoo, haircut, blow-dry and trimming my moustache as well as eyebrows...

You shouldn't have let them touch those eyebrows. Look what they've done to your forehead.

i forgot to mention that some ironing of my forehead is included in the price

[Troyron]

Its not that easy to find a decent hairdresser in Bkk which cost 100 baht or less. If someone knows, please tell. Back home we only tip if they do anything more than expected, then again the salaries are pretty high. Here the salaries are low, so maybe a small tip is expected.

[Semper]

I don't care whether you tip or not. I'd be more worried about paying 450baht for a freakin haircut in LOS.

Haircut, shave and some sort of massage (on the arms and back, mind you) with a vibrating thingy, 30 Baht. No tip expected.

[Bangkokhatter]

I don't care whether you tip or not. I'd be more worried about paying 450baht for a freakin haircut in LOS.

Haircut, shave and some sort of massage (on the arms and back, mind you) with a vibrating thingy, 30 Baht. No tip expected.

am sorry but I don't believe you, where are you staying that you can get a 30 Baht haircut ? most places are 50-60 Baht and maybe 40 for children.