Do you tip your hairdresser in Norway?
No, it isn’t expected. The price on the list is the whole price. A hairdresser will still be pleased with a tip when you’re especially happy, and there are ways to say thank you that count for more than a 100-krone note.
· 3 min read
Written by the team behind Stamly at Inovix AS. We sell the booking system we write about, and we show where the numbers come from.
In short
- Tipping your hairdresser isn’t expected in Norway. The price you pay covers their wages and the salon’s costs.
- If you’re especially pleased, a tip is perfectly fine. There’s no set rate.
- If you want to give something, round up or leave a 100-krone note. You can ask whether the hairdresser would like it in cash, by Vipps or on the card.
- Recommending them to a friend, a good review or booking again often means more to a hairdresser than a tip.
You’re at the counter with your card out, and the terminal asks if you’d like to add a tip. If you’re used to tipping at home, your thumb may already be heading for the percentages. In Norway you can just tap “no”. The price at the hairdresser is the final price. The wages of the person who cut your hair are built into it, and no hairdresser is counting on you to add anything.
That seems to be the general view, too. The Norwegian learning site ifingo writes that tipping is not part of the culture for hairdressers, masseurs and others who provide personal services, and that the price you pay is the final one. We don’t know of any survey that has measured how many people tip their hairdresser in Norway, so anything beyond that is judgement.
When do people tip anyway?
When they’re more than happy. The hairdresser squeezed in an extra appointment on a Saturday because you had a wedding. She rescued a home dye job that went wrong. Or you’ve been going to the same person for ten years and want to show you value it.
How much should you tip a hairdresser in Norway?
There’s no set rate for hairdressers. If you want to give something, rounding up or leaving NOK 100 is fine. For comparison, the communications director at Virke, the Norwegian employers’ organisation for service businesses, told the consumer site Dinside that 10 to 15 percent is a reasonable guideline in restaurants when you’re especially pleased. That advice was about restaurants, not hairdressers, and it dates from 2015. Nobody will look at you oddly if you give nothing.
Cash, Vipps or card?
- Cash goes straight to the hairdresser and is the simplest way to tip that one person.
- Vipps, the Norwegian mobile payment app, works if the hairdresser is happy to give you their number. Ask first. If you’re visiting and don’t have Vipps, cash is easier.
- On the card, through the terminal, if the salon offers it. The money then goes to the salon first. If you’re not sure it will reach your hairdresser, ask at the till.
However you give it, a tip is taxable income for the person who receives it, according to the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten). Declaring it is the hairdresser’s job, not yours.
Four ways to say thank you without money
- Recommend your hairdresser to someone you know. A name and a number sent to a friend can turn into a new regular for them.
- Write a review. Mention the hairdresser by name and say what you liked. It helps the next customer choose, and your hairdresser gets it in black and white.
- Book your next appointment before you leave. Your hairdresser gets a fuller diary and you get the time you want.
- Turn up, or cancel in good time. An empty chair is an hour your hairdresser doesn’t get paid for. Read what a Norwegian salon can charge when you cancel.
If your salon uses Stamly, you can book the next appointment in the app on your way out, and you earn points at the salon every time an appointment is paid for. Here’s how the points work.
Questions and answers
Is it normal to tip your hairdresser in Norway?
No. Tipping isn’t expected at hairdressers in Norway, because the price you pay is the full price and covers their wages. You can still give a little if you’re especially pleased.
How much should I tip my hairdresser in Norway?
There’s no set rate for hairdressers. If you want to give something, round up or leave NOK 100. Giving nothing is perfectly fine too.
Is it rude not to tip a hairdresser in Norway?
No. Norwegian hairdressers don’t count on tips, and nobody expects you to add anything to the listed price.
How do I tip a hairdresser in Norway?
Cash goes straight to the hairdresser. Vipps works if the hairdresser gives you their number. A tip on the card goes to the salon first, so ask at the till whether it reaches your hairdresser.
How can I thank my hairdresser without tipping?
Recommend them to someone you know, write a review that mentions them by name, or book your next appointment before you leave.
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