Lately it seems like I can’t go anywhere without encountering that awkward tipping moment—a prolonged handshake with a bellhop at a hotel, a lingering stare across the coffee shop counter as the “Tips Please” box looms between me and the barista, or wondering whether the five dollars I tack on to my total at the nail salon is as generous as I intended it to be. (Or too generous?) Throw some less common situations into the mix, like weddings or casinos, and I’ve absolutely no idea whether my tip—or lack thereof—makes me totally rude or ignorantly generous.
So I set out to squash the awkward tipping moment, asking everyone from valets to etiquette experts to talk about what are largely unspoken guidelines. When do we tip? How much? What’s too little, too much, insulting? The good news: they’ve generously provided us with some tangible guidelines. The bad news: now we have no excuse.
Transportation
From the airport shuttle driver to the late-night taxi ride home, my tips to these folks don’t follow any pattern—they usually consist of whatever I can scrounge out of my pockets between balancing my bags, juggling my keys, and searching for my plane tickets. Do you tip more if they help you with bags? Are taxis tipped on percentages, like restaurants? And what about valets? Bryan Silverman, a former valet at Del Mar Racetrack near San Diego, filled me in.
- Valet: $2 minimum, to be increased depending on service and how classy the location is. “I see none of what you pay to valet your car,” says Silverman. “All I see is your tip—whatever you decide to give me.” He calls $2 a bare minimum, and says everything above that will earn you a little something extra, like help with directions.
- Cab: 15 percent, plus an extra $1 to $2 if he or she helped with bags
- Airport Skycaps: $2 for the first bag and another $1 per additional bag
- Long-term parking shuttle driver: $1 to $2 per bag, if the driver assists you with your bags
Salons
You know you have to treat your stylist well. She is, after all, wielding full power of the shape and color of your hair and allows you to leave the salon feeling like those women in the shampoo commercials. But what about the shampooer? Should I be tipping more for things like massages and facials? And am I seriously supposed to tip every person that helps me at one of those fancy spas? The etiquette queen, Emily Post, provides some tips on her Web site:
- Hair stylist: 15 to 20 percent of the bill
- Hair washer: $1 to $2
- Nail technician: 15 to 20 percent of bill
- Spa treatments: 10 to 20 percent per service
- Spa Attendants: At a resort spa, tip the spa attendants about 5 percent of your total at the front desk. If any particular attendant went above and beyond for you, tip that attendant individually. At day spas, it is not customary to tip the attendants. However, if the day spa is one that you frequent regularly and the attendants go the extra mile for you, you may want to tip here, as well.
