Tipping culture has spread far from the tabletops of sit-down restaurants where it was born. From coffee shop chains to bakeries and even doctors’ offices, point-of-sale systems are asking customers for additional funds on top of existing rates.
Customers who are particularly frustrated with the pervasiveness of tipping culture have filmed some of these instances to share with an incredulous audience, often sparking debates about whether or not some kinds of services should be considered “tippable.” Such videos also create conversations around the practice of tipping at all, as many consumers feel that employers should pay their workers well enough that they do not need to tip.
One such customer, Misha (@dontcrossagayman on TikTok) shared that on his most recent trip to a medical spa, the esthetician who touched up his botox suggested he tip her $200 for the service—even as she makes $60 per hour.
During their appointment, Misha said the esthetician shared that she was doing well despite living in a place with a high cost of living because her hourly rate is high.
“Can we talk about tipping culture and how it’s gone too f*cking far?” he said in the video. “A few months ago, I got Botox at a new place and the girl who did my Botox was pleasant. She was very chatty. We talked about how the price of living in a big city has gone up so crazy, but she talked about how she was one of the lucky ones because she makes $60 an hour and just got a new Tesla.”
Once his appointment was over and he went to the front desk to settle up, Misha said he was ready to pay the $750 for his 15-minute appointment, when he was asked what kind of gratuity he would be leaving for the service.
@dontcrossagayman ♬ original sound – Misha
“I said, ‘For a med spa appointment?’” he recalled. “How much do people normally tip? And she said $200. I said, ‘Isn’t this sh*t like 75% marked up already? Listen, she was nice, I’ll leave like $40.”
Later, when he set another appointment, he said he received an email saying it was canceled. Looking at the med spa’s website, he saw an availability on the esthetician’s schedule where his appointment had been. Thinking that she had simply had a personal conflict, he called the med spa directly to see if he could get another appointment for that day with someone else but was offered the same appointment time with the same esthetician.
“Now I feel like they canceled my booking because I did not tip her $200 when she already makes $60 an hour,” he said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Misha via email regarding the video.
Several viewers echoed the poster’s confusion at being asked to tip for a medical service or said they had experienced the same thing.
“Med. Spa is considered a medical office,” one commenter wrote. “Do we tip our primary care physician now too?”
“Ahaha my laser med spa did tried that to me too lol they even started automatically added 20 percent on top of your bill as a tip,” another user said.
“Every med spa I’ve been to asks for tips,” another echoed. “It’s gotten out of hand!”
