Masseuses in Munich, how much to tip?

I found a place for a one hour massage for 40 Euros, but how much should I tip? Should I round it up to 50 Euros or should I tip less?

is this a wind-up?

Does she give you the full treatment?

it's a regular "professional" massage. nothing kinky if that's what you're thinking about.

€40 massage, I would tip €5. Simple as that.

Assuming it's a good massage of course.

Although, if the spa's owner is doing the massage ... a tip is not required.

Personally I would never tip a Masseur or Masseuse, whether they owned the Spa or not. Where did you go for your massage, Malinee? Somewhere like Nordbad? If the price for a massage is €40, then that's precisely what I'd pay. I only tip waiters (if the service is up to scratch). No one else. Not taxi drivers either. You don't need to and they don't think any the worse of you if you don't.

I ended up tipping 7 Euros, but maybe next time I will tip 5 Euros. I guess I'm use to giving 15 to 20 percent at beauty salons. I went to a place near Isartorplatz, it was more of a hair salon but they also do waxing, facials and nails and had massage on the list. The masseuse was good, not great, so I'm not sure if I would recommend her, but the price was cheap.

15-20%, are you American? That's way over the norm for here.

The thought of tipping a masseur, regular or otherwise, would never cross my mind. What is it with tipping all the bloody time.

Although we did tip our taxi driver the other night when she let us have 1 in the front, five in the back and one in the boot (trunk for the americans). Lovely lady took us both to the party with six people and then back again a couple of hours later (it was crap) with seven people!

Having travelled by Taxi all over this beautiful earth ... a safe ride deserves a tip, whether small or big ... just a show of "thanks", for bringing me home in one piece.

But surely it's a taxi driver's job to bring you home in one piece. That's why they charge you money and that's why you gladly pay that money. If the going rate for bringing you home in one piece is 17 euros, say, why do you then feel you have to give 20? You're paying way over the odds. If they don't bring you home in one piece, if you crash and are horribly maimed for life, would you still pay the 17 euros?

Same thing with masseurs. They have their price, and that's what you should pay. No more and no less. If you're particularly happy with the service you can show your appreciation simply by saying so, and by visiting the same masseuse again at a later date.

...back to massage, does anyone know of a good sports style masseuse (no rub and tug ) around here? I hate paying €40+tip for a someone to rub me with some oil. I want payyyyyyne!

There is a valid argument for what Lottie says.

Granted I will always tip in bars, restaurants, hair cutter places, taxis and the odd time I've had a massage, there too.

But there is a perfectly valid argument that says you are paying for that service so why should you pay extra. If bars were only charging you for taking up space, consuming a product and using a glass then the prices would be a lot lower. In any industry, the cost of staff is incorporated into the price you pay.

If you want to give something extra, either by word or deed, then fine, but it's a pity that tipping has become the expected norm. It may be a joke, but in many cases, especially here, the best tip you could give would be, "improve the service next time and you'll have happier customers...you prick!", or in a moment of greedy reflection, "Tall Guy in the 15:20 at Ludlow"

I've heard the whole story of "they survive on their tips". I worked in a bar for about 6 years (both as waiter & barman) and I know full well how important the tips are to supplement the very low income. I will still say that it's a pity that tipping is expected. We were tipped for good service and nothing else. Most punters wouldn't give you the steam off their piss ('scuse the gutter-speak), so when you got a tip, you knew that you'd earned it and you certainly didn't think less of someone if they didn't tip.

Also from all the people I know who work in bars and clubs in Munich you get paid more than you would in England (not in London) and you rarely get tipped in England. So why I ever tip is beyond me.

I have the perception that in the USA waiters are paid a paltry wage, and have to make at least double their wages in tips to survive.

Her in Germany shop assistants are overpaid, and I find it likely that waiters are also overpaid. So the tip for a German waiter is not a matter of survival.

Traditionally if a bill was say 17.40 you just said make it 18 to give a top. If it was 17.90 you probably go to 19 because 0.10 top is an insult.

But you see people rounding 17.40 to 20, giving a Euro 2.60 tip. And not for the best service either.

And when you ask why ??? cos it seems the right amount. That frankly is bringing American tipping culture to a country where it is unecessary and counter productive.

to finance me education in texas, i earned $2.13 an hour, was supposed to claim 15% of my tips on taxes and the rest was mine. so i probably made $7-$10 an hour depending on shift. my best waitressing gig was at a gentlemen's club, where i made a bit more, but that is another story! believe it or not, i did wear clothes!

annnyyy-how! i read an article recently that thanks to the €, german's now tip more than they should. some sort of peer pressure. 5-10% shows that you appreciated the service, but tips are already included in the price (you'll see this on menus) so anything above 10% is exorborgant. hairdressers should be given 10% if you regularly see them. sort of like bribing for an appointment and good service the next time.

to see how much service costs, go into a conditorei (what's this in ENglish) and order a piece of cake, then go back and sit down and order the same cake. i did thsi last weekend (at dukatz where they have this awesome almond, apple, raisin cake) and was surprised to be paying €1.00 less for take away!

i tried to tip the taxi driver last night, but he mummbled something about his tax number and so he could not write the taxi cost + tip on the receipt. i hadn't quite understood what he meant by that.

Personally, I think that this tipping culture is very corrupt, and has inevitably led to a number of wage decreases. It has lost the very essence of its initial purpose, which was to reward an employee for good service. The fact that it has now become obligatory is morally wrong, and doesn’t reward the employee in the way that it should. The employee expects the tip, as he would with his/her wages, and therefore can at times be indifferent to the quality of service.

Anyway, this is less a criticism of tipping, but more a criticism of low wages & a corrupt corporate culture.

In response to the initial question, the standard tip in German is 10%. My tip though is to only give a tip if you think that they deserve it, which most of the time they do.

Surely it just depends how hot she it? right?