Suggested tip: Up to you
Med spas are different from typical salon services because there are medical procedures being performed — however, since they may also offer aesthetic beauty treatments, tipping at a med spa is similar to tipping at a beauty salon. "I would say patients usually tip between 15 to 20 percent of the services rendered, or provide a one-time tip of $20 to $50 here in Los Angeles," says Kami Hanaie, PA-C, a lead injector at Skinbiotic Med Spa in Los Angeles. "Tipping is not mandatory in this setting, but it's always appreciated by the practitioner, especially if the patient is satisfied with the results and wants to show their appreciation."
Aesthetic injectors with many years of training and hands-on patient experience are often more skilled and have more improved techniques, which will often show through their work and, thus, warrant a more generous tip, says Hanaie. If you plan on tipping, consider if you'll need to come back for multiple sessions or if you purchased a package of services. "If a patient comes in for multiple sessions of a treatment, for example, microneedling with radiofrequency or laser hair removal, they'll usually purchase a package and will tip at that initial visit or at the end of their final session," says Hanaie.
If you don't feel obligated to tip at a med spa, there are other ways to show appreciation, such as leaving a nice review, referring friends and colleagues, and posting about them on social media. "Here at Skinbiotic Med Spa, a simple mention from our patients letting us know they are happy with our work means a lot," says Hanaie. "In the case of a happy patient who ends up referring us to a friend or family member, we actually make an effort to send them a gift card as a token of our appreciation."
