# Holiday Gifts for Your Best Salon, Spa and Barber Clients: The "Very Select Few" Tier On r/hairstylist, stylists describe two tiers of client gifts: a small bag for everyone in the chair in December (about $4 to $20 a head, in their own figures) and a real gift for a very select few. With no minimum, a $35 Personalized Gifts Delivered box is $350 for 10 top clients and $7,000 for 200 (two orders). *We sell a $35 logo mug gift box, printed, packed and shipped to each person's address. This guide covers the other options too.* **Key facts** - A booth-renting stylist of 20 years: "I would be looking at spending $4 a bottle which doesn't sound like much but when you are buying 200 or so.. it really adds up!" ([r/hairstylist, Nov 2025](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1opobo9/)). - Another stylist gifts "a very select few", the "biggest spenders/best guests", and writes every client a card ([r/hairstylist, Oct 2026](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1xeio2q/)). - A waxer on r/Esthetics planned gifts for "my top 10 clients of the year" ([r/Esthetics, Dec 2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/Esthetics/comments/1h53bs4/)). - Bags described in an October 2026 r/hairstylist thread hold "hot cocoa packets" and "a wrapped chocolate (e.g. Lindor or even a Freddo)". - IRS Publication 463: "You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year" ([Pub. 463](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463)). This page is part of our [client gifts by profession](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/professions) guide. Deciding who makes the top tier: [which clients get a gift](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/client-gifts/which-clients-get-a-gift). ## Every client or your top 10? **Two tiers, two budgets.** On r/hairstylist, one stylist described exactly this: "I have a very select few who i gift- they typically are people who are my biggest spenders/best guests meaning they do all the things and buy all the things + they also treat me extremely well. Since it's only a few, i do custom things like pilates socks, holiday cookie tins, bottle of wine, premium chocolates." And for everyone else: "i write every single client of mine a card thanking them for their support in the year and looking forward to next year." What stylists and estheticians describe, by tier: | Tier | What they give | What they say it costs | |---|---|---| | Every December client | A sample-size mask or detangler, candy, a gift bag | "about five bucks each plus cost of candy and a gift bag" | | Every December client | One full-size leave-in or wax | "less than $20 per client" | | Every client, 200 of them | Mini lotions | "$4 a bottle", about $800 in all, by the stylist's own count | | A very select few | "pilates socks, holiday cookie tins, bottle of wine, premium chocolates" | Not stated | | A waxer's top 10 | Still deciding: "I don't want to break the bank" | Not stated | Sources: [r/hairstylist 1xeio2q](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1xeio2q/), [1o3mydx](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1o3mydx/), [1opobo9](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1opobo9/), [r/Esthetics 1h53bs4](https://www.reddit.com/r/Esthetics/comments/1h53bs4/). The 200-bottle stylist asked: "I'm wondering if I should ditch the Christmas gifts all together but that bums me out because I enjoy giving a small gift to show my appreciation." One reply: "Maybe only give them to your most loyal/valuable customers." Tiering is honest budget planning, and the top tier is where a real gift lands. Including more people is plain arithmetic: with no minimum, at $35 delivered each, 10 top clients come to $350, 25 come to $875, and the 200-client book above comes to $7,000 (one order holds up to 100 boxes, so 200 clients are two orders). ## What goes in the everyday goodie bag **Cocoa and chocolate are already in the bags.** From the r/hairstylist thread "Has anyone ever done client Christmas gifts?" (Oct 2026): - "Last year I did claw clips (bulk on Amazon) and candy. Had them on the Christmas tree so they could pick one." - "I usually buy bulk clips or scrunchies (whatever is trending), some candy and hot cocoa packets, and little bags from dollar tree! I spend about $50-$75 but clients love it!" - "Bulk buy mini toiletries (body wash, body lotion) from hotel supplies websites, add a wrapped chocolate (e.g. Lindor or even a Freddo) and a fancy herbal or festive teabag sachet." Those bags are the small version of a finished gift: something warm to drink, a good chocolate, a little extra. The top-tier gift is the same idea, done properly and addressed to one person. ## What doesn't feel cheap? A poster on r/Esthetics asked the question directly: "Looking for some non-cheap feeling ideas." The answers in the threads point the same way: - **Full size beats samples.** "I thought about doing travel size stuff or sample size.. but honestly, nobody will use it," one stylist wrote, giving "one full size product of a leave in conditioner or wax" instead. - **Something they use, not something they store.** A mug is used daily; in ASI's 2026 Ad Impressions Study, a promotional-products industry survey, 87% of end-users said they would keep branded drinkware because it is useful ([ASI](https://members.asicentral.com/news/strategy/june-2026/asi-s-2026-ad-impressions-study-drinkware/)). - **Finished, not assembled in a hurry.** A box that opens to tissue, a seal and a card reads as a gift; a loose bag reads as a giveaway (our suggestion). - **Their name on it.** A card that greets the client by first name says the gift was for them, not for "a client". ## Barbers: one gift for men, women and kids A barber on r/GiftIdeas wanted to give back to customers who were starting to give "holiday tips", and asked for "a neutral gift that I can give men, women, and children" ([r/GiftIdeas, Dec 2021](https://www.reddit.com/r/GiftIdeas/comments/raqqep/)). One reply: "Some combs that have a funny message on them. Handmade soap. Some individually wrapped food treat. A $5 off coupon for next time." The barber in that thread wanted one gift for every customer. Including every regular in a finished gift box is the same arithmetic: $35 delivered each, no minimum; 50 regulars come to $1,750. ## In the chair, or at their home? A goodie bag works in the chair, for whoever books in December. A top-tier gift has a problem the bag doesn't: your best clients may not have an appointment between Thanksgiving and New Year. Shipped to their home, it's a surprise away from the salon, with your card on top. If your booking system keeps clients' mailing addresses, start there. If it doesn't, ask in a short text or at the next appointment: [how to ask clients for their address](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/how-it-works/ask-clients-for-address). Keep the answers in one list: our [client address spreadsheet template](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/how-it-works/client-address-spreadsheet-template). ## Can a stylist deduct client gifts? This section quotes the rule. It doesn't apply it to your salon. > "You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year." > > "Incidental costs, such as engraving on jewelry, or packaging, insuring, and mailing, are generally not included in determining the cost of a gift for purposes of the $25 limit. A cost is incidental only if it doesn't add substantial value to the gift. For example, the cost of gift wrapping is an incidental cost. However, the purchase of an ornamental basket for packaging fruit isn't an incidental cost if the value of the basket is substantial compared to the value of the fruit." > > [IRS Publication 463](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463) (for use in preparing 2025 returns; page last reviewed April 30, 2026; read October 29, 2026) More in [are client gifts tax deductible?](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-rules/are-client-gifts-tax-deductible) This is information, not legal or tax advice. Check the current rule (or ask your tax professional) before you send. ## What should the card say? Thank them for the year in your chair: - "Hi {first name}, thank you for trusting me with your hair this year. Every appointment with you is one I look forward to. Enjoy a cozy, happy holiday season." - "{first name}, thank you for a wonderful year of appointments, stories and good laughs. Here's to a relaxing holiday and a beautiful 2027." On a Personalized Gifts Delivered order, the card is printed (not handwritten), with no logo or brand: one message and one sign-off for the whole order, up to 300 characters. The message can include {first name}, filled in from the address list, and you preview every person's card before you pay. The order page tells you if a message is too long to print. More lines: [thank-you messages for clients](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/card-messages/thank-you-messages-for-clients). ## What sending these yourself takes Yes: you can build and ship top-client gift boxes yourself, and by our estimate 25 logo mug gift boxes take about 9 hours of hands-on work, plus a week or more waiting for supplies. That covers a mug printer's proof, about 8 supply orders, 25 shipping labels, 25 cards and about 3½ hours of packing (about 8 minutes a box). Per box, it comes out about even with our $35: about $38 with USPS counter postage, about $34 with commercial postage, with $1,192.84 paid up front for the mugs, the retail supply packs and 25 postage labels ([our DIY cost comparison](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering), prices as of Oct 29, 2026). A small mistake shows: a mug packed without a foam collar can break at the handle, and a typo on 25 printed cards means printing 25 again. With Personalized Gifts Delivered, you add the list and the message; we print, pack, label and ship each box. ## What to know before you order - **One logo and one message per order.** Every mug in an order carries the same logo, and every card the same message and sign-off, with each client's first name filled in. One box is a complete order. - **The treats.** LINDOR truffles contain milk, soy and barley malt (gluten); read the labels. The [allergy and diet checklist](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/client-gifts/food-allergy-gift-checklist) covers what to ask first. - **The seal says "Happy Holidays".** The black tissue closes with a gold "Happy Holidays" seal sticker. - **Where we ship.** The lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas for now; no Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other US territories, APO/FPO or international. The order page flags any row we can't ship to, so you can fix it or take it out before you pay. - **Order by Tuesday, December 15 for Christmas delivery.** That date covers printing, packing and shipping. ## Where Personalized Gifts Delivered fits for a salon's top clients Your top clients get the gift the goodie bag was reaching for, finished and sent to their home: - **Your salon's logo, small, on a mug they'll use:** an 11 oz white ceramic mug with your logo printed small, so it reads as a gift, not a promo item. - **The treat, upgraded:** a 1.5 oz packet of Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles packed inside the mug, black tissue closed with a gold seal sticker, in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid. - **A card with their name:** your message, printed, greeting each client by first name, in an envelope closed with a gold wax-seal sticker. You see every card before you pay. - **To their door:** packed by hand in foam, inside a plain white shipping carton; the label's return address shows PersonalizedGiftsDelivered.com, and nothing on the carton names your salon. - **No minimum:** 5 clients or 25, at $35 per box, delivered. When your boxes ship, you get one email with a spreadsheet of recipient, ship date, carrier, tracking number and $35 per box. Add your logo (or type your website and we'll find it), or a photo or a few words for a personal gift; check the preview of your mug and card; add your address list; and pay $35 per box. We print, pack and ship each box to its own address. We ship from New York. Ships within 2 business days of a complete order (your design, your address list and payment). Ships by USPS Ground Advantage or UPS Ground, with tracking, and usually arrives 2–5 business days after it ships. Delivery dates are carrier estimates, not guarantees, and run slower in mid-December. That's a [custom logo mug gift box, shipped to each top client, no minimum](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/custom-logo-mug-gift-box): your very select few, thanked properly. ## Frequently asked questions ### What do hairstylists give clients for Christmas? Stylists on r/hairstylist describe small bags for every December client: claw clips or scrunchies, candy, "hot cocoa packets", a wrapped chocolate "(e.g. Lindor or even a Freddo)" and travel-size products. The costs they name run from "about five bucks each" to "less than $20 per client". ### Should a stylist give gifts to every client or only the top clients? A common pattern is both: a small gift or card for everyone and a bigger gift for a few. One stylist on r/hairstylist gifts "a very select few", the "biggest spenders/best guests", and writes "every single client of mine a card"; a waxer on r/Esthetics planned gifts for "my top 10 clients of the year." Including every client is plain arithmetic: with no minimum, a $35 Personalized Gifts Delivered box each is $7,000 for 200 clients (two orders). ### What salon client gifts don't feel cheap? One stylist on r/hairstylist answers with full sizes, dropping sample sizes because "nobody will use it" and giving "one full size product" instead. In ASI's 2026 promotional-products industry survey, 87% of end-users said they would keep branded drinkware because it is useful. ### Can a hairstylist deduct client gifts? IRS Publication 463 says: "You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year." Ask your tax professional how it applies to you. ### Who ships a gift box to each of my top salon clients at home, with no minimum? Personalized Gifts Delivered ships a $35 mug gift box to each client's own address from one list, with no minimum, so 10 top clients come to $350 delivered. Each box holds your salon's logo printed small on an 11 oz mug, Ghirardelli cocoa, 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles and a printed card that greets each client by first name. ## Sources 1. IRS, [Publication 463](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463), for use in preparing 2025 returns (page last reviewed April 30, 2026). Read October 29, 2026. 2. ASI, [2026 Ad Impressions Study: drinkware](https://members.asicentral.com/news/strategy/june-2026/asi-s-2026-ad-impressions-study-drinkware/), June 9, 2026 (a promotional-products industry survey). Read October 29, 2026. 3. Reddit threads quoted (checked word for word in the Arctic Shift archive, October 29, 2026): [r/hairstylist 1xeio2q](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1xeio2q/) (Oct 2026), [1opobo9](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1opobo9/) (Nov 2025), [1o3mydx](https://www.reddit.com/r/hairstylist/comments/1o3mydx/) (Oct 2025); [r/Esthetics 1h53bs4](https://www.reddit.com/r/Esthetics/comments/1h53bs4/) (Dec 2024), [1gs8pbu](https://www.reddit.com/r/Esthetics/comments/1gs8pbu/) (Nov 2024); [r/GiftIdeas raqqep](https://www.reddit.com/r/GiftIdeas/comments/raqqep/) (Dec 2021).