What Is the Value of a Massage Service Received?

During the past couple of months, I took an extended leave from blogging to deal with chronic neck pains and insomnia by seeing a chiropractor and a physical therapist. In August, I considered adding a monthly massage into my therapy since I knew I was very close to paying off my credit card and I could afford it. (To those who are thinking I should pay down my student loans rather than get massages, let me rephrase: I could afford to pay for monthly massages without going back into credit card debt. Mmm-kay?)

One weekend in August, I went to a chi-chi resort in La Jolla that charged $130 for a 50 minute massage. The spa facilities were fancy-shmancy and I loved it. The massage on the hand could only be described as... "meh."

In September, while in Chicago, I got a massage at a five-star hotel near Michigan Avenue. (It was the only spa that would take me on a Sunday evening as a walk-in. I swear!) The ritzy spa charged $135 for a 50 minute massage. The facilities were gorgeous but again, the massage itself was, "meh."

In both instances, I tipped the massage therapists $26 and $27 respectively, notwithstanding the mediocre quality of the massages I received.

For my October massage, I was thinking about scheduling a $79 service at my chiropractor's office, but was enticed by a $49 (50 min.) massage special at Massage Envy instead. For those who aren't familiar with Massage Envy, it's a "membership spa" where members pay $59/month (or whatever price the franchisee set) and get one (1) 50-minute massage per month. Members can get additional 50-minute massages in the same month for $39 a pop. Non-members pay $98 per 50-minute massage.



I was initially turned off by the fact that Massage Envy's "spa" didn't have any showering facilities or a steam room. (Uhhh... I really think a business that calls itself a spa should at least have some kind of water related facility, but I digress.) Nevertheless, I gave it a whirl and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the massage I received. It certainly kicked serious butt of the chi-chi resort massages I previously got. I signed up for a 6 month membership.

But when it came time to pay the tip, I froze. Massage Envy's tipping guidelines suggested $14-$20, but I wondered about some of the same things that financial writer, Liz Pulliam Weston, did in this article.

I initially wondered whether a $12 tip (i.e., 20% x the regular member's price of $59) would have sufficed as a decent tip? But why should the mediocre massage therapists at the chi-chi resorts get double for the same service? On the other hand, since I don't enjoy the same luxe facilities at Massage Envy that I get at the tony resorts, doesn't that mean I can tip less?

After what seemed like an eternal internal debate, I left a $17 tip. I justified the tip based upon prices that other non-membership "day spas" (that also lack showering facilities) charge for a 50 minute massage. The prices in San Diego range from $65 to $80, so I think a $14 to $17 tip is quite appropriate for a 50-minute massage. (Liz Pulliam Weston's neighborhood really has $39 massages?)

This begs the question: Can an establishment really set the perceived value of a service delivered? I don't think so. I compare places like Massage Envy to car washes that offer cut rate prices at the expense of their employees. Just as I do at car washes, when I think an employee may be underpaid, I tip based upon the value of the service I think I received, not what I was charged. In other words, I tip beyond the 20% standard. I really can't be angry at Massage Envy's tipping guidelines since it benefits the therapist, not the franchisee.

But now I'm starting to regret - - if I suspect an establishment isn't paying its employees a decent wage, maybe I shouldn't be patronizing the business at all... *Cr&p*