I am going to a spa for the first time tomorrow (received a gift package for my birthday). I am getting a facial, manicure, pedicure, and massage. I know that the gratuities are not included in the gift certificate, but I am not sure how to handle them. Do I tip each person after their service? It seems like this would be awkward, since I will be wearing the robe they provide, and God knows where my purse will be during all of this. So I’m thinking, maybe I wait until the end, and give the total gratuity to the cashier? Help!
I hope I am in time to help! The front desk will help you when you check out. You can give them the gratuity for each person. Some older-style spas (more like salons) will have a bank of little mailboxes and envelopes for cash tips.
I never tip a tech at the end of the service. Besides, I am naked and never have anything in my robe pocket! 
That’s what I did for my first mani/pedi. I mean shit…you can’t be digging into your pocket with tacky nails and walking around in dimestore flipflops with toe separators, balancing on your heels in someone else’s jammies and expect to tip people. The guy/woman at the desk prolly does the doling of the dough all the time.
At most places, you settle up when you pay your bill at the front desk. My spa provides individual envelopes that you can “address” to your service providers.
VCNJ~
Mine, too. Your purse will be in your locker. To protect your nails, just figure the amount ahead of time.
What I do when I go to a casino is take a bunch of fives. Give them out as needed. I wouldn’t give a tip to the cashier unless they were very creative in their certificate taking abilities.
Depends on whether you get a happy ending or not.
Most good spas have anonymous tipping to make it simpler. You just put what you can afford in an envelope and write their name on it or something.
As for how much you should tip. Keep in mind that Massage therapists make a minority percentage of your $ 100-150 full body massage. What they make is generally like 30-40%.
Well, if I pay them for it, it isn’t a gratuitious handjob anymore, is it? hmph