What Price Beauty? Whatever It Is, You Probably Should Be Ready To Add a Tip

It’d be a miss not to acknowledge the elephant in the room: Everyone is broke. High grocery prices, looming tariffs and the rise of tipping culture have Dallas folk reevaluating their finances.

Dallas beauty practitioners are feeling the penny-pinching.

“In the last four months, I've seen such a pretty significant decrease in just people who are coming through the door,” aesthetician Estela Romero says. Her colleagues only see a couple of clients a week.

Romero is co-owner of Yoali Studio, an Oak Cliff holistic beauty spa. Romero’s resume includes makeup artistry, facialist, brow artist, waxing specialist and beauty sales with a specialization in skincare. This isn’t her first economic ebb and flow. Historically, election years have slowed down the Dallas beauty industry. This round is different.

“I've been in this game for a really long time, so that [slow down] was nothing new to me, but this kind of tension around people really having to make some decisions that change their lifestyle ... it just feels different, and I'm having to just reimagine, rethink, ask questions to myself of what I want my career to look like,” she says.

Tipping fatigue has plagued the economy. The swivel of iPads with those looming three percentages —15%, 18% and 20%, which, in some instances, have crept up to 20%, 25% and 30% — is enough to make a consumer reconsider. Still, vanity prevails.

“In Dallas, beauty is king,” Romero says.

We tapped some of Dallas’ best in beauty, wellness and beyond for their guidance on navigating tipping in Dallas’ vast beauty landscape, including those obscure services where tipping etiquette is gray.

Hair
Verdict: 20%, and don’t forget about assistants.

“Twenty percent is the standard of expectation, but that structure exists, in the traditional sense, because the service provider is essentially paying the salon owner to work there,” Romero says.

A seismic shift in the salon industry has grayed tipping policies and expectations. Many hair stylists are abandoning salons and opting to open their studio suites or work as independent contractors.

“Usually at commission salons, most stylists are getting 50% or less of that service, and for some people, that's not going to cover a livable wage,” curly hair specialist Ashtyn Miranda says.

Based on experience, the 20% tip on services should still be honored in a salon setting. Assistants are paid the least in salons. Miranda urges clients to tip assistants. An extra $5 to $10 can be meaningful for the person shampooing or blowing out your hair.

“You're tipping on the service, the experience, how that stylist made you feel,” Miranda says. “Did they make you feel comfortable? Did they educate you? Did they go above and beyond? That is what you should be tipping for. That it is a personal choice and based on how you felt receiving that service.”

Independent stylists, who have their own spaces or rent booths at salons, set their prices. Miranda, an independent stylist, has adopted a no-obligation-to-tip policy.

“My prices, they cover business expenses, and it also ensures that I'm earning a livable wage so that I'm not relying or putting that obligation on my clients to pay me,” she says.

Miranda says the best practice is to ask. She recommends asking your stylist about their tipping policy or calling a salon and speaking with the receptionist.

Waxing
Verdict: 15 - 20%

“The standard is between 15 and 20, so at least that's what I tip as a service provider myself,” Le Cera Boutique Waxing Studio owner Janet Velez says.

The tip percentage is a declaration of your satisfaction with the service. Twenty percent means excellent service, she says. She advises wax specialists to take tipping percentages with a grain of salt.

“You just never know what anyone's going through,” Velez says. “Someone who typically tips you 20-25% might not be able to afford that sometimes, and you can't take that personal.”

Since Le Cera Boutique’s inception, Velez has implemented a no-tipping policy. She slightly raised her prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since maintained a steady pricing schedule. Per a client's suggestion, she now accepts tips without expectation from new clients.

“Always the best tip you can give me is to refer some people, send me some clients,” Velez says.

Makeup
15 to 20% with caveats

Romero’s beauty expertise includes makeup application. Yoali Studio offers makeup applications for $130 and makeup lessons for $150.

The standard of 15 to 20% should be honored for makeup application, but Romero suggests that clients check with their practitioner when it’s done at the client's location.

“Private, on-location makeup is a different beast in general. … In my opinion, your price should be completely fixed, so that's the only expectation,” Romero says. “That's how I always operated.” On-site makeup applications are typically higher priced.

Beauty counter makeup artists like those at MAC, Sephora or department stores have shifted how they handle complimentary makeup applications. Velez was a former Benefit makeup artist at a makeup retailer. She was expected to sell three items in exchange for a complimentary makeup application.

MAC offers a makeup application service for $60 or $90. The funds apply to purchases. Sephora now charges services, and tips can be added, according to its website. The best practice is to speak with your service provider before the service.

Eyebrows
Verdict: 20%

Romero and Velez offer eyebrow services under their umbrella of services. They say it is customary to tip for eyebrow maintenance.

Microblading is a gray area. Setting matters. This service is offered at tattoo shops, med spas and by individual providers. The best practice is to speak with your provider.

Nails
18 to 25%

Kobe Ngo, founder and general manager of the recently launched Vogue Nail Bar, says it is customary to tip anywhere from 18% to 25% for nail salon services. The amount should be based on experience.

“Clients should tip based on how they are welcomed and treated, how beautiful the final nail set is and how long it would take to do the set,” Ngo says. Intricate nail art and statement sets require detailed precision and expertise. Appreciation can be shown through a higher percentage tip.

Cash or check tips are preferred at some nail salons, such as M Nail Bar, according to its website. Preston Center’s Bellacures website states that the salon does not allow tips to be added to credit card charges.


Facials
Verdict: 20%, but have a conversation

“20% is the standard of expectation, but that structure exists, in the traditional sense, because the service provider is essentially paying the salon owner to work there,” Romero says.

As with hair stylists, the independent versus salon facialist distinction applies. Salon facialists, on average, pay 60% of their sales to the salon and keep 40%. Tips make all the difference. Facials are often a luxury service accompanied by product purchases. Don’t be afraid to press the custom amount on the tipping screen and enter the total for 20% of the service, not the total bill.

Still, that 20% can add up. Romero advises against letting that become a deal breaker. “I care more about whether my client is coming to see me every month than how much they're tipping me,” she says.

Injectables
Verdict: Do not tip

The rule of thumb for med spas is that if there is medical oversight, you should not tip. Nashville-founded Skin Pharm has a growing presence in the Dallas area and offers services like micro needling, fillers, chemical peels, Botox, Dysport and more. Tips are not accepted.

"Skin Pharm is a luxury cosmetic dermatology clinic with a team of board-certified NPs and PAs — so just like you wouldn’t tip your doctor, our providers don’t accept tips, either,” says Anna Schauerman, Skin Pharm’s senior director of clinical operations. “To us, the best compliment is when a patient shares their experience via review or referral. We know finding a trustworthy aesthetic provider can be challenging, and building positive, lasting client relationships is what we value most."

Massages
Verdict: Between $10 and $20

Gaby Torres, the 2024 Best of Dallas pick for best masseuse, has worked as both a masseuse in a spa and as head masseuse and owner of Massages by Gaby. Her Oak Cliff studio has no tipping policy, but most clients tip $20 per massage.

“I price my massages without the expectation of tips, but I know everybody leaves tips, which I’m thankful for,” Torres says. “Tips are very normal in this type of service.”

During the three years she worked in a spa, clients tipped between $10 and $20 per massage. The norm isn’t 20%, she says.

Spray Tans
Verdict: Between $10 and $20

Tipping is typical for spray tanning, but, like massages, Dallas tanners generally tip $10 to $20 to express appreciation, says spray tan technician Johanna Villanueva. She owns Bronzd, a mobile custom spray-tan company. She offers the bestie bundle for two people for $190. Clients often tip $20 total.

“Since us mobile spray tan artists are traveling to the client bringing all the equipment, and setting up a comfortable space, it can be a little bit more work logistically, and it’s an overall luxury experience for them and super convenient, so when a client does tip, it's a nice way to acknowledge that extra mile of effort us tan artist provide,” Villanueva says.

She’s worked in a salon and as a mobile technician, and the $10 to $20 tipping range is consistent for both setups.

Tattoos
Verdict: 10%

Pegasus Tattoo Studio owner Stephanie Adelina says the tattoo industry's guidelines on tipping are gray, but communication and understanding are key.

“If there is a standard, 10% is fair because once you're getting into these really higher prices, and you're even going into 20%, which feels like the service industry kind of thing, it gets to be a lot,” she says.

Adelina has been tattooing for 16 years. She does not expect tips because she prices her artistry accordingly, but she says many emerging tattoo artists cannot.

“If you are supporting an apprentice or someone who's just starting out, who's doing really, really low-cost stuff, if you can afford to throw them at $20 on a $50 tattoo, that's going to make a huge difference to them,” Adelina says. Like beauty salons, tattoo artists are often subject to commission sharing. To her knowledge, 50% used to be the standard. Now, 20% is the standard, but that varies from studio to studio.

The studio owner explains to her clients that she doesn’t expect tips. Some clients still tip, and she uses those tips to pay the generosity forward.

“It helps me, then with the clients who can't afford as much, be able to be more flexible in my pricing,” Adelina says.

Hair Removal
Verdict: Not necessary

Laser hair removal is tricky. Do a Google search, and you’ll find that the service is most often offered at a med spa.

“My personal belief is that you should not tip a person who is providing a service that is supervised under a medical director,” Romero says, echoing Skin Pharm.

West Village’s It’s a Secret Med Spa front desk said in a call that gratuity is not customary, although their point-of-sale system does have an automatic tipping prompt. That’s for their estheticians who are providing facials. Clients are welcome to skip that screen.

Ultimate Med Spa, which has four locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, says the team appreciates tips, but it is up to the clients whether to do so.

Fitness Instructors
Verdict: No

“In my experience, tipping is not expected or required at ticketed or complimentary pop-up events,” Fitness Ambassadors founder Mai Lyn Ngo says.

Fitness Ambassadors is a membership-based fitness and wellness social club that offers community classes in collaboration with partners such as the free Strength and Sweat Series with Downtown Dallas Inc.

“As an organizer, it is up to me to have a budget designated for the instructor or fitness professional teaching,” she says. “In addition, we are also promoting and marketing the instructor or their studio.”

She says instructors who donate their time usually do so to grow their clientele. Social media engagement is a valuable non-monetary token of appreciation.

“My recommendation for attendees who really enjoy the class, ask for the instructor's Instagram, follow them on social media or share a post and tag them,” she notes. “Connect with them and see where they teach. That exposure and word of mouth are so important to fitness professionals looking to make an impact.”