Tips for massage therapists can vary. They range from nothing to the sky’s the limit. This is in part because prices change so much from location to location and from one technique to another. An hour-long massage in New York City may cost over $100, while a massage in the mid-west may be $40-$50.

The profession falls somewhere between a spa type service and a medical one. So where you would tip a massage therapist for a relaxing hour-long Swedish massage, you probably would not tip a massage therapist using some sort of rehabilitative medical massage.

Massage therapists who work in a spa or chain, or who work for any business usually only receive one-third to one-half of what you pay for the massage. Massage therapists who have their own business may charge more, but after expenses they are also actually earning much less, anywhere from one half to two-thirds of the price charged.

A safe amount, no matter what the circumstances would be anywhere from 10 to 20 percent. You can always offer more if you feel it is deserved, less, or even nothing if it was a bad massage.