The honest answer your stylist will not say to your face — when to tip, how much, and what to do when service was not great.
I am a working stylist in Sandy, UT and I am going to answer this straight. There is no industry-wide rule and the "20% always" headline you read on a personal finance blog is not how the real economics work in our market. Here is the honest breakdown.
The short answer
15–25% on the service total is the standard range at most Salt Lake County salons, with 20% the most common. Tipping is not legally required, and most stylists will not chase you down — but it does meaningfully affect take-home pay, especially at independent / suite-rental studios.
Where the 20% number actually comes from
Hair stylists at most salons take home 40–50% of the service price — the rest goes to the salon for chair rental, product, utilities, and overhead. At suite-rental studios (like Love Thy Barber), the stylist pays a fixed weekly rent and absorbs all product costs themselves, so they take home a larger share of the service price but cover their own expenses.
In both models, tips are a meaningful share of total compensation. 20% on a $150 balayage is $30 — and that genuinely adds up over a 30-client week.
A simple tipping table
- $35 men's cut → $7–$9 tip (20–25%)
- $40 fade → $8–$10 tip
- $65 women's cut → $13–$16 tip
- $120 color → $24–$30 tip
- $150 balayage → $30–$38 tip
- $250 color correction → $50–$60 tip
When you can tip less (or not at all)
- The service was genuinely not what you asked for and the stylist refused to fix it. Skip the tip and leave honest feedback.
- The stylist owns the salon and explicitly says "no tips, just rebook with me." Some owners prefer the rebook over the tip.
- The price is already significantly above market and the stylist is the owner-operator. Use judgment — tipping is still appreciated.
A "we are running 20 minutes late" or "the color came out slightly different than we planned" usually is not a tip-skipping moment — it is a fix-it-now or fix-it-at-the-next-visit moment.
What about Venmo / cash app vs card?
Card tips through the salon system are easiest for you and totally fine for the stylist. Cash tips (or Venmo / Zelle direct to the stylist) save them the processing fee on the tip portion and arrive faster — but the difference is only a percent or two, not a big deal. Tip how it is easiest for you.
Holiday tipping and "thank-you" gestures
For your regular stylist, a holiday tip equal to the cost of one service in December is the unofficial standard. So if you normally get a $120 color and you book once a month, a $120 holiday tip is the friendly upper end. Anything is welcome — a $20 card and a hand-written note is genuinely meaningful.
How tipping works at Love Thy Barber specifically
Sammy is an independent suite-rental stylist, which means tips go directly to her with no salon middleman. Card tips through the in-studio reader are easy. Cash, Venmo, or Apple Pay all work. There is no required percent and no judgment if the service was not a fit — we would rather hear honest feedback than receive a guilt tip.
Ready to put this into practice?
Book Your Next Appointment →FAQs
Do you tip the salon owner?+
In Utah, yes — most salon-owner stylists in our market are also active behind the chair and accept tips. The "you do not tip the owner" rule comes from old-school full-service salons where the owner did not cut hair. In modern suite-rental and independent studios, the owner is the stylist and tipping is welcome.
Should I tip on the discounted price or the original price?+
Tip on the original (pre-discount) price if the discount came from a salon promo. Tip on the discounted price if you used a personal coupon or referral credit you earned. The stylist is doing the same amount of work either way; the question is who is paying for the discount.
How much do you tip on a $300 color correction?+
For a $300 multi-step color correction, $50–$60 is the customary tip range (about 18–20%). Color corrections are emotionally and physically intensive for the stylist — they earn the higher end of that range.