Do you tip a Registered Massage Therapist in BC?
3 minute read. Written by the Back in Health team, Kelowna.
In short
No. Do not tip a Registered Massage Therapist in British Columbia. RMTs are regulated health professionals, and principle 1.3 of the CCHPBC professional-boundaries standard requires licensees to refrain from receiving gifts from patients, so gratuities are not accepted. Pay the listed fee, or only the balance remaining after insurance.
Why an RMT does not accept tips
Registered massage therapy in BC is regulated health care. The appointment includes a health history, assessment, treatment plan and clinical record, and many patients submit the fee to extended health insurance.
The College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC requires its licensees to refrain from giving or receiving gifts from patients. A gratuity is therefore not part of an RMT appointment. Paying the published treatment rate is enough.
What if the payment terminal asks?
A generic tip prompt is a payment setting, not a request from your therapist. Choose the no-tip option. If direct billing pays part of the published treatment fee, you pay only the uncovered balance.
Insurance applies to the treatment fee. No gratuity should be added to the amount submitted to your plan or collected separately.
Better ways to say thank you
The most useful thanks is direct and simple: tell your therapist what felt helpful, or mention what changed between appointments. That feedback helps them adjust the next treatment. Arriving on time and giving reasonable notice when plans change also means more than people realise.
Back in Health does not ask patients to post public reviews. A private thank-you to the practitioner or clinic is always welcome.
What you pay at Back in Health
The price listed when you book is the treatment price. Direct billing may reduce what you pay at the desk when your plan covers part of the visit; any remaining balance is still the fee for care, not a signal that a tip is expected.
Book registered massage therapy in Kelowna at Glenmore or Kirschner.
General information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. If something is getting worse, or you are unsure whether it is right for you, speak to a clinician.