10 Tips to Handling Gratuities

  1. All spa staff should particpate in gratuities at some level
  2. Don't put gratuities on a credit card if you can get away with it. Some spas do and build the fees into their expenses.
  3. Don't discount groups, give them a value-add (product gift, etc.)
  4. 20% gratuity and service fee built-in
  5. Staff gets 15%, 5% handling fee
  6. 15-20% standard gratuity
  7. Commissions for support staff
  8. Front desk should get a percentage of retail sales
  9. Never let staff discuss tips in front of customers or with the front desk staff
  10. Realize that tipping at the end of a service is stressful for a guest--try to make it as painless as possible