I have looked through the answers regarding if you should tip a tattoo artist and some dealing with how much, but I always see inconsistent answers….which is due to everyone and their opinion, so I was hoping to get some kind of solid answers from asking myself.
…..In May I will be sitting down for my 1st session of a 3/4 sleeve; in all there will be four, five hour sessions. The artist is the owner of the shop, well known, does great work, and charges $175/hr. The sleeve is going to cost around $3500. By the way, this is my first tattoo….yeah, starting off big.
Is a tip expected for such an expensive piece? (honestly I would feel weird not giving a tip…I think I’m more concerned about the perception of giving a $100-200 tip opposed to tipping around 15-20%, but I would still like to know if a tip is expected)
Do shop owners get tipped less than their employees?
If you do tip, how much would you tip particularly on this piece?
The reason you don’t get solid answers is because there aren’t any. Unlike with most professions, there is no set standards for tipping tattoo artists, reguardless of whether they own the shop. For instance, my guy (who’s the owner) did a back piece for me that was done over eighteen hours broken up into three six hour sessions. His tip–a sandwich from Subway, which shares a wall with his shop.
On the other hand, since he’s the owner of one of the best reputed shop in Cincinnati, I know others who’ve tipped him $400 on $1000 jobs. But if me or my wife tried that (and she did), he’d refuse.
Frankly man, it’s all just a matter of your personal relationship with the artist man, and whether you’re a regular.
One thing I can tell you though is that your artist ain’t a waitress–the ole 15%-20% tip thing doesn’t apply.
Love. Peace. Metallica.
I feel like I’m making a much bigger thing of this than I need to…….
….. I just don’t want to insult him, when I’m really appreciative of the work he’s done
I’m getting people telling me I should always tip with tattoos, because they’re providing a service, and they’re saying 15-20%; while others say I shouldn’t because there are really no rules with tipping when it comes to tattoos.
…..so this is the reason for my confusion.
Tipping, in any profession, is a matter of your own personal judgement. And the whole percentage thing is out of date as well. Here’s how I look at it: If I go to a restaurant and the waitress is all nicey-nicey but doesn’t refill my beverage or makes me wait for ketchufor my burger and fries…well then she’s not getting much if any. I look at three main things when tiping:
A) What services were supposed ti be provided and were they provided
B) Was the person professional and polite? Did I feel welcome?
C?) Did the person go “Above and beyond” what I expected, ann if so…how much?
Price, in and of itself, is not the deciding factor in a tip. A tip is something extra based on performance and how well the “service” was. It’s a bonus to make people strive to proide the best professional service and experience possible.
My artist is a good friend of mine and does ALOT of work for me for a nominal fee. I ALWAYS tip her and I tip her well. She’s not a flake, she does good work, she even chooses the music in the shop based on what I want to listen to (instead of making me wear my IPod.) She knows I am very busy and generally even has a meal there ready for me to eat beforehand…as well and plenty of stuff to drink. She is very intuitive and knows when I need to take a break. She’s one of the best artist I’ve been too…not only her work but also how she treats her customers. All of this is why I always tip her.
You won’t truly know the answer to your question until after you first session. Just listen to your gut and do what feels right…it generally is. If the artist isn’t comfortable with a tip, then let them refuse.
😀
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