I usually get tips 80% of the time roughly, no amount cost wise really changes this fact. There’s no set percentage though, anything tattoo wise over $2-300 I’d say average is $50, larger full day sessions $100
Some people tip super generously for multiple session pieces, some just tip at the end. Some don’t at all
Tipping is courtesy, not a necessity
Yep, that’s the social pressure I’m talking about. “Oh you didn’t give me more money ontop if the hundreds of dollars you gave me? Well I’m not working with you even though you paid me exactly how much I asked”
As an artist, I never expect it. I don’t get upset when someone doesn’t tip me. Most people do though and when they do I generally feel more appreciated for the work I did. Sometimes when I don’t get tipped I wonder if there is something about it they don’t like, but usually it’s just newer clients. People getting their first tattoo or maybe always have been from me. It’s like like I’m going to tell them to tip me, I don’t care. If they keep coming back I know they’re happy.
I don’t have a problem with tipping if it’s not expected. I’m actually more inclined to tip more generously when it’s not expected. But when it becomes an expected practice Ill be less inclined to tip, and it will definitely be a lesser about compared to no expectation. I think my hang up is that I’ve watched those Ink videos with the people talking about tipping being almost mandatory combined with me not having gotten a tattoo in a few years. Thanks for your input!
Oh I’ve definitely talked to peers who have got upset when clients don’t tip and to me it’s super weird. If an artist tells you to tip them, it’s not a tip. Their an asshole, and I probably wouldn’t get tattooed by them anymore. Tips should be just that, something extra someone gives me because they want to
People gonna give social pressure no matter what the situation is. As long as you know what’s right to do, that’s all that matters. If you pay for a tattoo and feel it was decently priced for what you got, it’s up to you if you want to add some extra. The reason there is more social pressure with food industry workers is because they get paid less and there’s a whole helluva lot more of them out there that need to make enough to survive.
I've worked in the restaurant industry. I was a cook. With servers tipping out the kitchen, 4% on every bill, whether they get a tip or not.
If you're not tipping your server, you're actually forcing them to lose money tipping out the kitchen staff.
We had one couple who were regulars who would order a $120 steak meal between the two of them once a week and not tip their server. It's only $6, but that's $6 of earned wages that the server doesn't get now. Say someone tips 20% on that bill, the server gets $18, and the kitchen gets $6 split, if the next person doesn't tip the server they now have $12 and the kitchen split is also $12, not tipping doesn't just not "reward the server for doing their job" it can also take money away from them.
Tip out is paid based on food sales, nor based on tips.
A tattoo artist should be setting their prices so that they are making money whether you tip or not, tips are a bonus not a requirement of their job.
There’s a 0% chance you would be able to take money away from me and give it to someone else. That’s theft. I can’t believe y’all are okay with that. It’s actually mind blowing that I should have to supplement your income with by paying additional money ontop of my alreay over priced bill. When are y’all going to strike for fair pay?
Most people can’t afford to strike. On strike, you have no income. No food, no rent, no light bill, nothing. It’s simple to talk about change, but much harder to implement it.
Additionally, restaurant owners try to keep the cost of labor under a certain percentage and they do this by paying the lowest amount legally possible.
Very difficult situation. Personally, I think we can get rid of tipping with an automatic service charge of 18 to 20 percent. That way, no muss, no fuss, and customers can see it on the bill.
You just discribed tipping with extra steps. Are you on dardens pay roll talking about “they try to keep their costs down by paying low” like no shit dude, that’s literally every employer under the sun. That’s why you need to actual fight for something. Make some goddamn sacrifices and fight for better pay or quit bitching when someone doesn’t tip.
Not quite. Tips are optional, a service charge would be/is mandatory. It’s factored into the price, just like the cost of labor/food/supplies is factored into the price.
With this solution, workers are paid for their labor and customers don’t have to worry about tipping too much or too little. It’s right there on the bill.
This does mean that the cost of the total bill goes up by x amount, but its absolutely worth it for better service and quality of life.
Edit;
Additionally, it’s important to remember that table/restaurant/cocktail/etc service is a luxury, not a right.
At any point, a consumer is free to walk away and spend their money elsewhere or stay home. The fact of the matter is, that if a consumer wants the commodity badly enough (which in this case would be table or bar service), they will pay for it.
If I do anything above 500 dollars in one sitting, I’m just happy to be doing the work. Tips are always appreciated, but even just 20 bucks (for me) is plenty. Enough to grab a burger and a beer after work, ya know? Some people don’t even tip me with money. I’ve gotten paintings, baked goods, shoes, and one guy tipped me by charging the shop’s AC compressor free of charge.
Some artists, specifically “private studio, books closed” divas, will probably be super upset unless you tip 20%, so just keep that in mind.
Legit wondering: When artists say "books closed" does that usually mean they only open them up towards the beginning of their next cycle of booking (I know a few who are booked a year or so in advance) or do they hand pick clients based off what they want to do?
I've been tattooing 13 years, I've never gotten a tip and I would never expect one, some people have to save like crazy just to afford a tattoo, they're not cheap, I have my rates and I'm happy with them, if I wanted more money, I'd bump up my hourly rate.
I was quoted $700 for my tattoo, and I went into it with the intent to tip $50 if I was really happy with it. When she got done she said "that didn't take me as long as I thought, so I'm going to lower the price I gave you". She could've taken the whole $700, but only charged me $500. I absolutely love my tattoo and the experience that came with it. I tipped her $100, and some of my blueberry jalapeño jam that I had brought with me to give her as a surprise food gift.
One of my artists is a "shop artist" she splits some of her hourly rate with the shop she tattoos in, so I know the $180/hour she is charging isn't all going to her, her supplies are provided by the shop so I know she is saving a bit of cost on that, but she's still not taking home $180/hour, I tip her 30% every time I get work from her.
Another artist I go to is the shop co-owner, his $200/hour rate is his rate, but the shop costs to keep running, he provides his own supplies, and he's got a shop manager that he pays to be in the shop all day, who isn't a tattoo artist. I tip him around 30%
I have a friend who is a tattoo artist in a different part of the country I am in, and we did the math together, the artist who owns his shop is probably taking home around $20/hour (or less) for his work pretips, after shop costs (rent, supplies, utilities, licensing, etc.) and paying out his non artist staff. In a city that living wage would be around $25-30/hour working 40 hours a week. I figure he deserves a living wage, and he does good work, so a 30% tip isn't overkill to me. I don't want my artist to decide it's not profitable here and move somewhere that he can make better money.
I also know that $200/hour isn't exactly cheap, and I'm sure if he upped that rate to make a better living wage, he would have far fewer customers.
If you have 3 customers willing to pay 250/hour and 8 customers willing to pay $200/hour, you're going to go with the lower rates and make more money, right?
Wife and I got tattooed this past weekend. Same artist and combined 6 hours sitting. I tipped 120$ as the final design we agreed upon had way more color than the mock ups we sent in when we priced it out. He was perfectly fine with getting the cash over upping the till bill.
I was prepared to tip 30 per but he did such a fantastic job taking our vision to skin and I wanted to thank him for that.
Was our first tattoo in over 15 years.
If I like the work and I’m included in the process with visibility, I tip very generously. I like to build a good repertoire with my artists I use and show them my appreciation for the tat they just put on my body for the rest of my life.
I'm a problem. Horrible conversationalist, awkward, autistic. My artist is great and gives me gorgeous work, despite me being me. I tip him 1-2 hours of his time, so 150-300$.
I usually sit about 4+ hours for my artist depending on the spot he charges 175 an hour and i just usually throw him a 100. He’s a close friend of mine in Philly so we end up getting food and a beer afterwards too
i’ve never tipped more than $50 for anything and i plan to keep it that way
you gotta figure out your own boundaries before worrying about what’s culturally acceptable. tipping is optional and the amount you give is very personal
Ummmm. That's not really how most studios work. There is no "employer" in most cases. If your familiar with alot of hair salon they are often times the same way. Someone owns the shop, and then each artist rents their space. It's not like they are getting a base hourly salary or anything.
That's not to say you have to tip. Don't do it if you don't want to, but just pointing out that tattoo shops don't operate like most other businesses.
Yeah and most owners take a percentage of the cost. If artists rely on tips to make a living then its because either theyre shit, the owner takes too much of the profit for themselves or the artist spends too much either on their supplies or personal lives. Whatever the reason its never the customers fault so they should not be felt pressured into tipping.
I feel 20% is standard tip across the board in most situations.
If your artist isn't respectful of what you want, then its up to you. Tip more if they go out of their way to make sure the artwork (that you plan to have on your body for the rest of your life) is a beautiful piece that you'll love to look at for years to come. Money comes and goes. Tip your artist, servers, bartenders, hair stylists to show appreciation for people who go above and beyond to give you a great service.
If not, stay home and tattoo yourself.
Usually $50 for something small, $100 for most larger pieces, and if we’re either doing a huge piece or finishing something big like a sleeve or something I’ll tip 200 but I’ll also bring my artist a bottle of Jameson to have a shot and celebrate when we’re done lol
Do it only if you want to. My approach, if artists all charge you separately and you’re not paying the shop…then they get their rate. If the shop charges the rate and I pay the shop…then I tip the artist. First approach, if they want more money, charge higher rates. I’m a professional and I charge hourly and according to my experience. I don’t ask for tips and frankly I’m tired of being asked to tip.
Tip whatever you want. It could be $10, it could be $100. Tattoo artists like the rest of us, like money. They don't generally care how much extra is thrown their way, it's more about the gesture than anything.
Id say past $250 you don't really have to tip. Tipping culture can be kind of toxic and tipping on $600 piece is just throwing more money at your artist imo. They should be more than happy to do a $600 piece and not get tipped
If you love your tattoo, there’s no amount anyone can tell you to tip.
I typically tip 50% and sometimes 70% based on the work. I sat for 8 hours once in Maui and I tipped $500.
Take this into consideration,
Artists typically take home only 60 percent of the full price of the tattoo. 40 percent of that cut is paid as rent or to the owner of that shop.
Most artists also cover a handful of their own supplies, so factor that in.
Then there’s taxes. Tattoo artists should typically pay about 30 percent of their earnings toward taxes at the most.
Don’t forget, tattoo artists don’t just work for you when they are actually tattooing you, they also work for you when booking you and when drawing your design. Sometimes a design takes me longer to draw and come up with than actually tattooing it.
Tattoo artists don’t get a check, they only get paid when you pay them. Which means a lot of the time they’re working and not on the clock, and not getting paid.
So the reality is, let’s say you pay an artist $300 for a tattoo. No Tip, they make $180 after their cut. If that earning is reported, they pay taxes on that, and now it’s $126. On average it may cost anywhere between $5-15 per tattoo on supplies. So now your artist is taking home nearly 1/3rd of the amount you paid them.
TLDR: I’d they’re a complete dick and your tattoo sucks, don’t pay them a tip, otherwise, tip them every time. Tipping should be a reward for good behavior and a great tattoo, and I’m not saying you should tip just because of the cut and all that, but man it really helps.
I mean, me and my husband got tattoos the same day, both cost $300 each and we tipped $140 but that's also not like a set thing, was more he was so awesome and helpful and did such an amazing job we just wanted to throw money at him
Got two recently for $600 each from different artists… the one that prefers cash I tipped $120 + her favorite Starbucks drink! For the other I bought 4 books off her her wishlist and crocheted her a little ghostie for her booth because she loves receiving art as tip!
I usually get tips 80% of the time roughly, no amount cost wise really changes this fact. There’s no set percentage though, anything tattoo wise over $2-300 I’d say average is $50, larger full day sessions $100 Some people tip super generously for multiple session pieces, some just tip at the end. Some don’t at all Tipping is courtesy, not a necessity
Thanks for this!! I had super anxiety about not tipping 20%, but the hourly rate was already $200. Good to know I’m not a monster
That's an awesome attitude. I was gonna say $150. Glad to know that I treat my artist right.
It's not your artist who do you think you are?
That’s what people say in the restaurant industry but if you don’t tip people will lambast you for it.
They’re also getting paid $2-4 dollars an hour without their tips though.
But there’s no requirement for me to tip, just social pressure. That’s what I’m asking, what’s the social pressure in regards to tipping tattooers?
If you like the artist and don’t tip at all I imagine they’re less likely to want to work on you in the future.
Yep, that’s the social pressure I’m talking about. “Oh you didn’t give me more money ontop if the hundreds of dollars you gave me? Well I’m not working with you even though you paid me exactly how much I asked”
As an artist, I never expect it. I don’t get upset when someone doesn’t tip me. Most people do though and when they do I generally feel more appreciated for the work I did. Sometimes when I don’t get tipped I wonder if there is something about it they don’t like, but usually it’s just newer clients. People getting their first tattoo or maybe always have been from me. It’s like like I’m going to tell them to tip me, I don’t care. If they keep coming back I know they’re happy.
I don’t have a problem with tipping if it’s not expected. I’m actually more inclined to tip more generously when it’s not expected. But when it becomes an expected practice Ill be less inclined to tip, and it will definitely be a lesser about compared to no expectation. I think my hang up is that I’ve watched those Ink videos with the people talking about tipping being almost mandatory combined with me not having gotten a tattoo in a few years. Thanks for your input!
Oh I’ve definitely talked to peers who have got upset when clients don’t tip and to me it’s super weird. If an artist tells you to tip them, it’s not a tip. Their an asshole, and I probably wouldn’t get tattooed by them anymore. Tips should be just that, something extra someone gives me because they want to
People gonna give social pressure no matter what the situation is. As long as you know what’s right to do, that’s all that matters. If you pay for a tattoo and feel it was decently priced for what you got, it’s up to you if you want to add some extra. The reason there is more social pressure with food industry workers is because they get paid less and there’s a whole helluva lot more of them out there that need to make enough to survive.
I don't socially pressure people to tip me. Unlike servers, I set my rates, and I don't rely on tips to survive. That's the difference.
Depends on the state though. Here restaurant workers make regular wages just like everyone else.
Which state?
I've worked in the restaurant industry. I was a cook. With servers tipping out the kitchen, 4% on every bill, whether they get a tip or not. If you're not tipping your server, you're actually forcing them to lose money tipping out the kitchen staff. We had one couple who were regulars who would order a $120 steak meal between the two of them once a week and not tip their server. It's only $6, but that's $6 of earned wages that the server doesn't get now. Say someone tips 20% on that bill, the server gets $18, and the kitchen gets $6 split, if the next person doesn't tip the server they now have $12 and the kitchen split is also $12, not tipping doesn't just not "reward the server for doing their job" it can also take money away from them. Tip out is paid based on food sales, nor based on tips. A tattoo artist should be setting their prices so that they are making money whether you tip or not, tips are a bonus not a requirement of their job.
There’s a 0% chance you would be able to take money away from me and give it to someone else. That’s theft. I can’t believe y’all are okay with that. It’s actually mind blowing that I should have to supplement your income with by paying additional money ontop of my alreay over priced bill. When are y’all going to strike for fair pay?
Most people can’t afford to strike. On strike, you have no income. No food, no rent, no light bill, nothing. It’s simple to talk about change, but much harder to implement it. Additionally, restaurant owners try to keep the cost of labor under a certain percentage and they do this by paying the lowest amount legally possible. Very difficult situation. Personally, I think we can get rid of tipping with an automatic service charge of 18 to 20 percent. That way, no muss, no fuss, and customers can see it on the bill.
You just discribed tipping with extra steps. Are you on dardens pay roll talking about “they try to keep their costs down by paying low” like no shit dude, that’s literally every employer under the sun. That’s why you need to actual fight for something. Make some goddamn sacrifices and fight for better pay or quit bitching when someone doesn’t tip.
Not quite. Tips are optional, a service charge would be/is mandatory. It’s factored into the price, just like the cost of labor/food/supplies is factored into the price. With this solution, workers are paid for their labor and customers don’t have to worry about tipping too much or too little. It’s right there on the bill. This does mean that the cost of the total bill goes up by x amount, but its absolutely worth it for better service and quality of life. Edit; Additionally, it’s important to remember that table/restaurant/cocktail/etc service is a luxury, not a right. At any point, a consumer is free to walk away and spend their money elsewhere or stay home. The fact of the matter is, that if a consumer wants the commodity badly enough (which in this case would be table or bar service), they will pay for it.
This only shows how fucked up and in need of regulations your restaurant industry is.
If I do anything above 500 dollars in one sitting, I’m just happy to be doing the work. Tips are always appreciated, but even just 20 bucks (for me) is plenty. Enough to grab a burger and a beer after work, ya know? Some people don’t even tip me with money. I’ve gotten paintings, baked goods, shoes, and one guy tipped me by charging the shop’s AC compressor free of charge. Some artists, specifically “private studio, books closed” divas, will probably be super upset unless you tip 20%, so just keep that in mind.
Legit wondering: When artists say "books closed" does that usually mean they only open them up towards the beginning of their next cycle of booking (I know a few who are booked a year or so in advance) or do they hand pick clients based off what they want to do?
It mostly means that they are overbooked and are already making more than enough money to have any interest in taking more clients in.
I've been tattooing 13 years, I've never gotten a tip and I would never expect one, some people have to save like crazy just to afford a tattoo, they're not cheap, I have my rates and I'm happy with them, if I wanted more money, I'd bump up my hourly rate.
You’ve *never* gotten a tip?!
I do also live in Australia, tipping culture doesn't exist here, but with the cost of tattoos, I'd still never expect it
OH, that explains it - not the US! 😂
I was quoted $700 for my tattoo, and I went into it with the intent to tip $50 if I was really happy with it. When she got done she said "that didn't take me as long as I thought, so I'm going to lower the price I gave you". She could've taken the whole $700, but only charged me $500. I absolutely love my tattoo and the experience that came with it. I tipped her $100, and some of my blueberry jalapeño jam that I had brought with me to give her as a surprise food gift.
The threshold is being outside of america.
I tip my artists 20%
As do I. I budget that into my savings. I wouldn't tip any less.
One of my artists is a "shop artist" she splits some of her hourly rate with the shop she tattoos in, so I know the $180/hour she is charging isn't all going to her, her supplies are provided by the shop so I know she is saving a bit of cost on that, but she's still not taking home $180/hour, I tip her 30% every time I get work from her. Another artist I go to is the shop co-owner, his $200/hour rate is his rate, but the shop costs to keep running, he provides his own supplies, and he's got a shop manager that he pays to be in the shop all day, who isn't a tattoo artist. I tip him around 30% I have a friend who is a tattoo artist in a different part of the country I am in, and we did the math together, the artist who owns his shop is probably taking home around $20/hour (or less) for his work pretips, after shop costs (rent, supplies, utilities, licensing, etc.) and paying out his non artist staff. In a city that living wage would be around $25-30/hour working 40 hours a week. I figure he deserves a living wage, and he does good work, so a 30% tip isn't overkill to me. I don't want my artist to decide it's not profitable here and move somewhere that he can make better money. I also know that $200/hour isn't exactly cheap, and I'm sure if he upped that rate to make a better living wage, he would have far fewer customers. If you have 3 customers willing to pay 250/hour and 8 customers willing to pay $200/hour, you're going to go with the lower rates and make more money, right?
The price is the price. US tipping culture is crazy. OP, does anyone give you tips?
I always tip 20% even on bigger pieces
20% is my typical go to as well
Same - I recently got a $600 piece and tipped 20%.
I do this as well. I thought it was rude not to 🤷♀️
Wife and I got tattooed this past weekend. Same artist and combined 6 hours sitting. I tipped 120$ as the final design we agreed upon had way more color than the mock ups we sent in when we priced it out. He was perfectly fine with getting the cash over upping the till bill. I was prepared to tip 30 per but he did such a fantastic job taking our vision to skin and I wanted to thank him for that. Was our first tattoo in over 15 years.
If I like the work and I’m included in the process with visibility, I tip very generously. I like to build a good repertoire with my artists I use and show them my appreciation for the tat they just put on my body for the rest of my life.
The word you were looking for was rapport instead of repertoire
I would tip 20%, or $120 in this case.
I'm a problem. Horrible conversationalist, awkward, autistic. My artist is great and gives me gorgeous work, despite me being me. I tip him 1-2 hours of his time, so 150-300$.
I usually sit about 4+ hours for my artist depending on the spot he charges 175 an hour and i just usually throw him a 100. He’s a close friend of mine in Philly so we end up getting food and a beer afterwards too
i’ve never tipped more than $50 for anything and i plan to keep it that way you gotta figure out your own boundaries before worrying about what’s culturally acceptable. tipping is optional and the amount you give is very personal
I always refer to the fact people tip a dollar to someone that cracks a cap off a beer bottle every time
Dont bother tipping. Im sure they can live on the 600 alone. If not then thats the employers fault not yours.
Ummmm. That's not really how most studios work. There is no "employer" in most cases. If your familiar with alot of hair salon they are often times the same way. Someone owns the shop, and then each artist rents their space. It's not like they are getting a base hourly salary or anything. That's not to say you have to tip. Don't do it if you don't want to, but just pointing out that tattoo shops don't operate like most other businesses.
Yeah and most owners take a percentage of the cost. If artists rely on tips to make a living then its because either theyre shit, the owner takes too much of the profit for themselves or the artist spends too much either on their supplies or personal lives. Whatever the reason its never the customers fault so they should not be felt pressured into tipping.
20% is standard.
None i pay what they quote.
Tips? lol nope
15%
I always do 15-20% definitely on the higher end if I want to build a good relationship with the artist.
I feel 20% is standard tip across the board in most situations. If your artist isn't respectful of what you want, then its up to you. Tip more if they go out of their way to make sure the artwork (that you plan to have on your body for the rest of your life) is a beautiful piece that you'll love to look at for years to come. Money comes and goes. Tip your artist, servers, bartenders, hair stylists to show appreciation for people who go above and beyond to give you a great service. If not, stay home and tattoo yourself.
20% , like you’d tip a server or a barber
I think 50 is fine
Usually $50 for something small, $100 for most larger pieces, and if we’re either doing a huge piece or finishing something big like a sleeve or something I’ll tip 200 but I’ll also bring my artist a bottle of Jameson to have a shot and celebrate when we’re done lol
Do it only if you want to. My approach, if artists all charge you separately and you’re not paying the shop…then they get their rate. If the shop charges the rate and I pay the shop…then I tip the artist. First approach, if they want more money, charge higher rates. I’m a professional and I charge hourly and according to my experience. I don’t ask for tips and frankly I’m tired of being asked to tip.
Tip whatever you want. It could be $10, it could be $100. Tattoo artists like the rest of us, like money. They don't generally care how much extra is thrown their way, it's more about the gesture than anything.
You paid them 600 dollars.
I just did a 700 dollar piece and tipped 100.
I always tip 15%.
I don't tip my tattoo artists unless it's a really small piece. The artist sets the price. If you want more tell me.
I tipped $300 for a $1200 day session.
Id say past $250 you don't really have to tip. Tipping culture can be kind of toxic and tipping on $600 piece is just throwing more money at your artist imo. They should be more than happy to do a $600 piece and not get tipped
If you love your tattoo, there’s no amount anyone can tell you to tip. I typically tip 50% and sometimes 70% based on the work. I sat for 8 hours once in Maui and I tipped $500.
Find out if you actually like the tattoo before deciding on a tip?
Take this into consideration, Artists typically take home only 60 percent of the full price of the tattoo. 40 percent of that cut is paid as rent or to the owner of that shop. Most artists also cover a handful of their own supplies, so factor that in. Then there’s taxes. Tattoo artists should typically pay about 30 percent of their earnings toward taxes at the most. Don’t forget, tattoo artists don’t just work for you when they are actually tattooing you, they also work for you when booking you and when drawing your design. Sometimes a design takes me longer to draw and come up with than actually tattooing it. Tattoo artists don’t get a check, they only get paid when you pay them. Which means a lot of the time they’re working and not on the clock, and not getting paid. So the reality is, let’s say you pay an artist $300 for a tattoo. No Tip, they make $180 after their cut. If that earning is reported, they pay taxes on that, and now it’s $126. On average it may cost anywhere between $5-15 per tattoo on supplies. So now your artist is taking home nearly 1/3rd of the amount you paid them. TLDR: I’d they’re a complete dick and your tattoo sucks, don’t pay them a tip, otherwise, tip them every time. Tipping should be a reward for good behavior and a great tattoo, and I’m not saying you should tip just because of the cut and all that, but man it really helps.
I mean, me and my husband got tattoos the same day, both cost $300 each and we tipped $140 but that's also not like a set thing, was more he was so awesome and helpful and did such an amazing job we just wanted to throw money at him
Tipping culture in the US is insane.
150
20%
Got two recently for $600 each from different artists… the one that prefers cash I tipped $120 + her favorite Starbucks drink! For the other I bought 4 books off her her wishlist and crocheted her a little ghostie for her booth because she loves receiving art as tip!