Hi all, I’ve googled this and read several articles with conflicting advice.
I’m planning on getting my first haircut in France next week. I was looking for barber but the nearest one is unisex/hairdressers with the words ‘masculin’ and ‘feminin’ in the window so I guess they’ll have to do.
Question: do I tip the hairdresser?
If there is a jar next to the cash desk then you put a couple of euros in it. (Mine has a porcelain piggy bank in the shape of a mini).
France doesn’t have a huge tipping culture, instead the principal that people should be paid properly for the work they do.
I always have tipped hairdressers and I keep any euros I get in change to do so. If you are exceptionally pleased then put a note in for what you consider its worth. I was shocked at the American culture whereby you have to put how much tip you want to pay on the bill and its added on automatically.
I have been using Coiff and Go, a national chain. They are perfect for me, friendly and efficient . I usually give a couple of euros to the piggy bank on the counter.
I have always been 100% aligned with the French on this. I have never tipped, I have always paid the required price, the only exception is those little brown coins that I can’t tell the difference between, they get thrown away and if there is a nearby jar, that is where they are aimed.
I hear the Dutch did away with them years ago, Is that true?
The Dutch have a reputation for being mean though. I leave a few euros for the hairdresser and we tip in restaurants. It seems to get us better service in the long run.
My hairdresser has a little jar by the till, but it’s completely at your discretion. I think tipping the owner, when there is only one stylist who clearly owns the place, is a a bit weird.
Waiters in France, I’m told by my waiter friend, often got tipped ‘ the bit of change left over’ , but since COVID where many people now use cards, this practice has almost completely disappeared, I’m told.
I do not tip the Owner of the Hairdressing salon, if she is the one who has fought with my hair, Her bill is quite enough already. However, I do put a couple of small coins in the “pour boire” pot if her trainee has also tackled my unruly mane..
Somewhere along the way, I read that the Menu (in France) should say if “Service” is included in the price.. thus no tip required.
As a rule of thumb we do not tip in Restaurants except if there has been exceptional circumstances where someone has “gone that extra mile” and I give that directly to whomever it was.
We ate out a few times with a couple who had a restaurant and they always left something for the staff. I think most people here do and when you look at the price of set menus, I’m not sure there’s much leeway for extras.
I wonder if the service compris thing is outdated now.
Le service, parfois qualifié à tort de pourboire, est en réalité un montant intégré à l’addition. Dans ce cas, la mention « service compris » est indiquée, avec un pourcentage précis. Le client n’a donc rien à ajouter, car cette part est déjà incluse dans le prix et répartie via la rémunération du personnel.16 Oct 2025
Thank you, that’s interesting. This part of the south seems to have gone its own way on tipping.
On group outings at weekends, we often pass the basket and folk put in a little extra for the staff who’ve done us proud. Not everyone gives as they argue that it’s already in the bill, but what the heck… if it’s been a funtime I put a couple of euro in and that goes direct to the staff who have served our food.
As a male, the idea of tipping a hairdresser seems completely weird, and hairdressing for females always seems outrageously expensive. Is France a bit better value than the UK, where women spend £65-£200 for a haircut?
I would say this area is cheaper than where I lived in the UK.
I would say I pay less here than I did in the UK. It’s still a lot of money though - I reckon I pay around 80 euros each time but that does include a colour plus shampoo plus blowdry (which in my case takes quite a while) I’m in the salon between 2.5 and 3 hours.
You mean gender fluid don’t you, or perhaps non-binary? Anyway, make sure you opt for the masculin not the feminin treatment. The feminin one is a lot more expensive and involves a compulsory conversation about fashion and children.
Regarding your question, I have always tipped hairdressers and barbers, no matter what country I’m in. Especially the one in Darwin that gave me a bottle of beer to swig as she hacked off my locks. Very civilised.
You really don’t have to pay that much in the UK, it does depend where you go. In France I do only pay €25, again it depends where you go, but I think it’s generally cheaper in France than the UK.
You don’t, but a good haircutter is worth paying for their skill..
You keep your gender fluids to yourself 