The tipping dilemma in the US?

[orbitz]

I always tip barbers (in any country) as long as they take pride in their work and don't rush. In the US, I tip always and tip more if they don't rush.

Just curious as to how much you pay for a haircut in the U.S.? I'm old enough to remember when I had to only pay $5 ! Then after a couple of years it was $20. Now it cost me $50. I do not have complicated hair; My haircut is very straightforward and takes no more than 15-20 minutes, depending on how often the guy cutting my hair gets distracted, LOL. I used to give 15-20% tip when it was a $20 cut. Now I'm only doing 10% tip, and I try go 3-4 months, sometimes longer, between cuts, which drives me crazy since I used to get my short hair cut every month.

I tip when I travel, but I always feel uneasy if I should or not. I tipped a driver in Prague last year for driving me to a city in Austria, and he was genuinely surprised by it. I also remember back in 2015 when I tipped a Burmese boat driver; He looked confused (maybe even offended?) and asked "What is this?" He didn't take the tip, and I just felt very awkward.

 

[Private Citizen]

Just curious as to how much you pay for a haircut in the U.S.?

Off-topic, but barbershop prices in the US seem to have skyrocketed in the past 10 years. It used to cost $20-25, but now $40-50 is more common at least in NYC, Philly, or SF -- which are the only places I've been long enough to need a haircut in the past 10 years. In the UK, it was £15 ten years ago and now it's £20 even in London, and you can find for less. Of course these are not fancy places; there are plenty that charge way more. I go twice a month. Keeping my hair and beard skin faded is cheaper than dyeing than grey, which is only between my temples and cheeks. The fade on my hair keeps getting higher, and the fade on my beard lower as the grey is creeping in both directions. I'm glad the "barba italiana" look is in. I have no visible grey right after getting my hair and beard cut, and I can usually go 3-4 days before any grey starts to be visible again. Then I age 10 years in two weeks, only to have the clock turned back after a visit to the barber.

 

[MacMadame]

I see a hairdresser, not a barber and she charges $70 for a cut and style. With a 20% tip, it comes out to $84. Which is why I am now in the process of growing out my hair so that I can go 4x a year instead of every 6 weeks. I live in a high COL area though and her prices haven't gone up since before the pandemic.

 

[once_upon]

I used to go every 4-5 weeks before Covid shutdown. At that time she charged $75.

Once my hair got to shoulder length and we went a silver close to my white hair, I go every 8 weeks. Right now the sun has kept it very silver white and I haven't been since first of April. My next appointment i scheduled is July 5th.

She charges $105 for touch up and trim. I tip 25% even tho she owns the shop - which traditional you aren't required to tip.

 

[El Rey]

Any good haircut in Houston for men is going to cost $40-$50. Mine is $45 and I go every two weeks and tip $20 usually. The lady who cuts my hair left the bigger place she worked at and started her own solo business. At her old place I probably tipped $10. But my work schedule can be erratic so she’ll squeeze an appointment in for me when I need it, and has even cut my hair at her house before (she has a chair setup in her garage). So I think it’s worth the extra in tips.