Should You Be Tipping For Your Cosmetic Procedures? What To Know Before Your Next Appointment

After receiving a beauty treatment like a voluminous perfect blowout from your hairdresser or a fresh set of acrylics from the nail salon, it's common practice to provide a tip for the service when happy with the end result. Tipping is a large part of the U.S. culture that most people are accustomed to, but many still find themselves faced with the confusing dilemma of how much they should tip. A 2023 Digital Tipping Culture Survey showed that "most people tip when it's expected — 90% of respondents said they tip at least sometimes, with 76% saying they tip always or often" (via Forbes).

Although it's not an obligation, the people working these jobs often live off of these tips and use them to gauge how happy their clientele is with their services. When it comes to common cosmetic procedures like Botox and filler, things aren't as clear cut. If you've ever gone into your local spa or dermatologist for Botox treatment and been left confused and wondering whether or not you should tip, you're not alone.

Per Allure, when it comes to beauty procedures, you often don't need to tip your doctor for Botox or filler treatments. If you're getting your injectables done by a medical professional like a certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist, they typically won't be expecting a tip from you. However, this isn't always the case and varies from person to person.

According to We Gotta Talk, if you're in a medical office or if your injector owns the practice where they provide the service, you don't need to tip. However, if your injector works at the practice, it's acceptable to offer them a tip for the service. Oftentimes, the injector will work for an hourly wage and tipping them is seen as appropriate and appreciated. One of the reasons why there is such a gray area when it comes to tipping your Botox injector is because of the ethical dilemma that arises when you tip a medical professional for good service.

Medical professionals are held to the highest levels of professionalism and should always provide the best service possible, regardless of tips and financial incentive. They also don't rely on tips as heavily as other service providers including estheticians, hairdressers, assistants, and nail technicians.

Treatments that you can tip for are facials from estheticians, as well as any other beauty treatments that aren't performed by medical professionals. If you're still left wondering whether it's appropriate to tip, look around to see if there are any empty white envelopes in the office. These are typically left as a place to put your tip. Whether or not you tip for a service is entirely up to you and whether or not you're pleased with the service and end result. You should never feel pressured to do so or to offer more than you're comfortable with. When in doubt, ask your doctor or esthetician if they accept tips to put your mind at ease.