How much should you tip in Bali?
The bills our tip amounts sit on top of
Tips make more sense as a share of the bill, so here are the bills from the venues we rank:
- Massage: 250-300k for 60 minutes at the Canggu spas we rank, so the 20-50k tip above is 7-17%. At Yogi Spa (70k) a 20k tip is nearly a third; round up, do not apply the percentage.
- Spa rituals in Seminyak: 310k (Re Massage Studio) to 880k++ (Spa Alila) and 1m++ (The Legian). The "++" on the hotel spas means tax and service charge are already added, so no tip is expected on top.
- Cooking class in Ubud: 350k-530k with lunch included; a 50k note to the host family at the end is generous and remembered.
- Restaurants: LUCA in Sanur runs 250-280k for pasta and prints service on the bill; Warung Mak Beng (55-100k set meal) and Sindhu Night Market (25-50k) do not expect a tip at all.
Rule of thumb from these numbers: tip in round notes at the cheap end, check for "++" or a service line at the expensive end, and skip it at warungs.
Source: our own rankings on this site (data/venues.csv, 302 venues), prices as published by each venue; gym prices re-checked 16 October 2026.
The amounts, service by service
Massage or spa: 20,000-50,000 IDR for an hour, closer to 100,000 at a high-end place or for a long package; 10,000-20,000 for a quick foot massage. Ride apps: 5,000-10,000 IDR is a genuinely good tip for a Grab or Gojek driver. Private driver for a 8-10 hour day: 50,000-100,000, up to 150,000 if they went out of their way. Tour guide: 50,000-150,000 per day for real effort. These match what current Bali tipping guides report (Finns, Bali Holiday Secrets).
Restaurants: check the bill first
Most hotels and mid-to-upper restaurants already add a 10 percent service charge plus 11 percent government tax - look for it before adding anything. If it is there, rounding up is plenty. If there is no service charge (common at small warungs), 5-10 percent is generous. At a tiny local warung a tip is not expected at all, and can even confuse - so read the room rather than the rule.
The rule that actually matters
Tip in Indonesian rupiah, always. Foreign coins cannot be exchanged and small or torn foreign notes get rejected at money changers, so a well-meant dollar can be worthless to the person you gave it to. Hand cash directly with a small smile rather than leaving it on a table where it is unclear who it is for. Tipping here is a thank-you, not an obligation - which is exactly why a little, given kindly, lands well.
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