A woman says a massage worker called her out for how much she tipped, but, she adds that the worker also wanted her to pay and tip before the massage had started.
Taylor Stewart (@heyitstaystew) recounts the incident from her car and posted the video to her TikTok account.
“I really don’t consider myself to be a cheap person. I’m more than happy to tip, but I feel like tipping nowadays in just getting out of control,” Taylor begins.
The TikToker says that she recently booked a massage, but as a woman in her mid-20s without a lot of disposable income, she also had a budget to stick to. However, after some research, she says she found a massage parlor that charged $80 for an hour, which Taylor thought was “more than fair.”
She says she booked an appointment, but when she arrived, the woman “wanted [Taylor] to pay for the service ahead of time.”
“So I pay the $80 with my card. She passes me back a slip of paper to write my tip on it,” the TikToker says, adding that, at this point, she started to wonder what an appropriate amount to tip was.
“So I write down $5. I passed back the slip, and she goes, ‘That’s it?’”
Taylor says that when she asked the worker how much she expected as a tip, the woman said, “Definitely $20 to $30.”
After Taylor declined, the woman allegedly told her, “‘Well, the girls here work really hard.’”
“I’m not questioning that at all. I’m sure they do, but that’s why I am already paying $80,” Taylor says in shock. After some back and forth with the woman who kept insisting on a higher tip, Taylor says she started to feel uncomfortable and offered to go elsewhere, but the woman convinced her to stay.
However, while she was changing, she says she could hear the woman and a colleague speaking in their native tongue. “You know when you just feel like someone’s talking about you? That’s what it felt like.”
Taylor says she tried to leave again and made it as far as her car, but the woman once again persuaded her to stay. The TikToker says she ended up getting the massage, which was actually “really good.”
“But the whole time I’m laying on the bed like … overthinking the whole situation. Thinking like am I a bad person,” she says.
@heyitstaystew i also think my left eye is infected or something, life is good
♬ original sound – Taylor Stewart
Taylor’s video received over 895,000 views. Viewers in the comments section weren’t as concerned with the tip amount that Taylor left, or tipping culture in general, but with the fact that the woman demanded that the customer leave a tip before she had her massage.
“Nope. Full refund and an honest review on yelp is what you should have done. Toxic tipping culture is ruining consumers experience,” said one person.
“Tipped BEFORE service?!! That’s insane!!” wrote another.
“Tips should be YOUR choice AFTER a job WELL done,” agreed a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Taylor for further information via Instagram direct message.
