The few times I visited massage places in SZ noticed the locker staff always tape a 20 on a tray hinting that they expected 20 in tip. The first time I tipped 20. Afterward I did an analyze the amount of work to number of dollars I started tipping only 10.

When I went to a legit place for a double session I tipped the girls 50 to 60 for 90 minutes of work. They do not get any of the massage price. The locker staff handed me a key and a towel; none of them offered to hang my clothes; and shorts and robe after shower for a total of one minute of work. I think 10 is more than enough. Am I being cheap? I much rather give the money to the girl which does most of the work.

amen ... had the same thoughts myself on occasion ...

... but make sure you don't leave anything irreplaceable in the locker, in case the tip constitutes 'insurance' ...

i guess call me cheap, but the few times i went to a sauna, i typically tip 10 or 20 for the foot massage, then around 30-50 for the actual massage. most times i dont tip the locker boy because i feel like its stuff i can do myself, and dont actually need them there to wait on me.

one time i had a fiver, so i tipped that to the locker boy. another time when i was in panyu i was all changed and walking out, the locker boy actually followed me and was asking for a tip. so i gave him a fiver to get out of my face. i dunno, i just feel like if i request the service, i will tip accordingly, but for the locker boy aspect, i didnt ask for that service, so i feel like i shouldnt necessarily have to tip it cuz i would actually be more comfortable doing that myself. i actually feel kind of retarded having somebody wait on me hand and foot like that. but thats just me.

another time i wore a shirt that had the threads on the outside, and the poor fellow kept flipping my shirt inside out, outside in, trying to figure which was the right way before handing it to me. i actually had a nice little chuckle watching him try to figure it out. i didn't tip him.

agree!! been to the century sauna in SZ and it's a nice place but there are like 10 towel boys in teh locker room and once you go in, it's like all of them mob you and stand around you like you're a superstar or something. Sometimes I feel embarassed for them just standing there watching me. And when you change, they also just stand there. I think 10 bucks is more than enough for them. Imagine how much they make just from tips if they wait on 10 clients per day. That's really good income just on tips alone

Good that I wasn't alone with that thought. I may go back to HK and SZ in April. I will make sure I have a few fivers just in case I feel generous.

In HK, most massage/saunas have a tip box in the locker room.  Usually there will be a couple HK$100 bills inside.  Just like you did in SZ, ignore the $100 bills and put $20, which is the norm in HK, into the box.  

I think the locker guys just put $100 bills in the box because they are red in colour and you know red is a lucky colour...Yeah, right.  

I dont think your cheap, as I always tip the amount that I feel comfortable with.  But sometimes I tip more than I should because I see some of the people in China, and how hard they work for such little money, I am inclined to give just a bit more.  A few more bucks to them might make a big difference and I know some of them really appreciate it.  I consider myself very lucky when compared to some people in China, so I always try to be a bit more generous when I see hard work.

i dont mind giving a few more bucks to ONE guy who serves me like a king but when you have 5 guys around you and each one gives you a piece of something, like a towel, an earpick, getts your shoes I mean that's ridiculous who are you supposed to give to. I would rather one get do all these things for me and I will tip him, just him, bigger. That should be the rule. One towel boy per person

$100 is alot considering many don't really serve YOU. In some of the veggie MPs in HK, the receptionist sometimes ask if you would like to tip your masseuse $100 but I wonder if they actually get the money.

i often tip like 40-50 bucks cuz when i go in i tell them im going to tip you well if you service me good . towels kleenex ... everything
i like to have good service rather than shitty service that screws up your mood

I can empathize with some of the poor in China and properly reward someone in exchange for their hard work.

When China first opened up, you actually CANNOT give a tip.  I mean the 'service people' would actually refuse any tips.

They felt they were paid to do the job already and accepting a tip means that they were practically acting like beggars/insulting etc.  I believe that this same etho still exists in Japan.

Well as China opened up and more Big Swinging Dicks came tipping huge (to the service staff) amounts, such resistance quickly gave way to practicalities!  And now we're stuck with such "demands" from many quarters in China.

On the other hand, if you notice the local Chinese patrons' practicess - they would hardly ever give ANY tip at all - and the service staff knows better than to even hint at trying to get some.

Yes, I do believe that tipping someone for a job done well is very correct - but IMHO this indiscriminate giving away of tips is one Western habit we can all do without in China! Too many BSD's spoiling the market!! Including and especially the hooker market!

Americans are so used to giving 15-20% tips that many restaurants actually impose a mandatory 18% Tip for tables of 5 pax or more there.  How ridiculous is that??!!  Hong Kong has a 10% service charge just about everywhere - and that to me is also ridiculous.

Just IMHO

SEAJ
sp. edits

[ Last edited by  SEAJ at 4-2-2010 14:50 ]

maybe you should campaign to have them remove all the american customs especially tipping. I'll contribute to your campaign fund

everytime i go to one of those saunas in SZ i wish those guys would leave me alone. Hate have them take my cloths and hang my underwear. I can sort it out myself. But incase of any trouble or missing items i still tip them. I would give me 10 just to buggar off.

One of the first time I want to a sauna in Macau. I had 4 to 5 female attendants helping me. I didn't know they allowed females in the changing rooms.  There were Filipinos and Indonesian girls.  At the tine,  I was embarrassed and shy about it.

Sometimes, they tell you to write an amount on a paper. It's for a tip.....One time I was charged something like 50HKD for a tip which I never gave.  I told them it was a mistake by them and to remove it.

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 5-2-2010 07:51 ]

was this a full service sauna? I think the girls there are for a reason in a full service sauna but usuallly guys in a regular sauna. anyways, tips are fine as long as they actually do some work and one dude service. That's all Im trying to say

I totally agree with you. That is why I want to learn the local custom and not be like an "Ugly American".

I couldn't agree with you more SEAJ.  Tips was meant to be a patron's way of saying thank you for a great job done.  When you impose a 18% tips charge, that is just wrong.  What happens if the service was poor?  Knowing that you will automatically get an 18% tip will not encourage the server to provide better service.

Bumping an old thread, but do Macau sauna locker boys expect to get tipped?

I've never thought about this subject, so wondering if I have acted against etiquette by not tipping.

Tip only if the locker boy is giving you more than just his basic service, in our case, he helped us get the number of our masseuse after our session!

They're just like bouncer at a strip club, most should be connected enough to get those things done for you with a little motivation.