I’m buying my oldest step-daughter a special treat for her birthday – an afternoon at the best hair salon in the area, for color, highlights, cut and style, whatever she wants within reason. I can’t go with her, because I have 3 little boys who do not react well to hair salons, so I’m buying her a gift certificate (around $200).
Now for my dumb questions:
How much does one tip a hair stylist? I’ve rarely done anything this high-end for myself, so I’m clueless. I tend to trim my hair with kitchen shears or my little needlework scissors.
And how does the tip work when you have a gift certificate? Is she supposed to hand over some cash, or is the tip part of the gift certificate?
Nominal tip for a hairdresser is 15%, up to 20% if you love them. The salon should allow the cert to be used towards the tip. I have gotten my wife gift certificates for spas and that’s how it has worked. If she spends $173 then the tip would be $26 and the $200 cert could be used for both. (If she uses somewhat less than that the establishment should be willing to give change.) If she goes over that then IMHO she should be willing to at least fork over a few bucks in tip money.
Some high-end salons don’t accept gratuities. My wife tries to find those places; after all, why should you tip someone who is already getting about half of that fee as their pay?
She’s a great step-daughter, and needs a little pampering now, as she’s been feeling neglected.
I imagine she can get everything she wants, plus a few styling products, and have enough left for a tip, but if not, she always some cash on her. I just wasn’t sure about the typical protocol.
I’m not sure what the going rates are for your area, but $200 around here really wouldn’t allow for cut, color, highlights*, style, tip and styling products. I get two colors done (a bright ass red with super dark brown/black under chunks), cut and style and that will run me ~$150. Highlights would push that to ~$220. This is all without tip.
Does the salon have a website with their rates for different services?
Highlights themselves will usually run ~$90 if they’re good at doing them (instead of the “let’s just slap big chunks of bleach on and call them ‘highlights’”)
Their website is down, so I’ll have to call them to check the prices. I’ve never had my hair professionally colored or highlighted, so I may be totally off.
Or I could totally be off, too! $200 should be totally fine for at least the hair cut, any color and/or highlighting and style and probably tip. I only think of how I can find styling products for cheaper at Trade Secret compared to the salon.
$200 should be totally fine for at least the hair cut, any color and/or highlighting and style and probably tip. I only think of how I can find styling products for cheaper at Trade Secret compared to the salon. 