How much do you pay per use of mikvah?
What's your policy regarding tipping the mikvah attendant?

it was $18 (bath is more expensive, i think)
i didn't tip.

6 sheck...
And there is usually no "attendant" to tip and even if there was I wouldn't (unless I came late and the door was already locked)...

$15 and I tip one dollar.
I once had to go in a small town and I was shocked whenthe attendant asked for the payment of $25.

In my city, a $10 tip will get anyone in to the womens mikvah.

"What do we get for 10 dollars???"

None. (I never heard of that before reading this thread)

(same here)

I think 25 shek for a shower and 35 for a bath. No tip.

Different rates for singles versus marrieds?

I have no idea. But I purposefully did not make the opening post non-inclusive.
On the other hand, I must always be careful about being "machshiv sin" or the h.com police will be after me yet again.
(Although I suppose the price for single women is relevant on erev Yom Kippur).


For those who tip: Does it make a difference to you if you know the person or not, if the person is the regular attendant (for whom this may be a necessary source of income) or someone filling in (who is just there to do a favor maybe), if the person is your best friend or across the street neighbor?

I think it's hilarious, especially when they get tipped right into the water! There's a huge splash and the attendant gets all made.

Prevalent in a few, some or most communities?

I have no idea, but I thought of that because when I was flipping through the Shu't Bnei Banim in order to scan and post on h.com the teshuvah about newly marrieds delaying mitzvah fulfillment for 6 months, I was reminded of his teshuvah on this topic [he rules single women are permitted to be tovlot on erev YK and it's not facilitating licentiousness].

The local mik charged $13, and I would tip $2-8, depending on the circumstances. It was a smaller mikveh and it required calling the mikveh lady directly and having her walk over and open the mik. She was very flexible with times and would come to open really late at night, so I felt she deserved the tip.

I have never heard of different prices for a bath vs a shower.

$23, no tipping
I guess my town is in the lead for most expensive so far....

20 nis just for dipping, 30 for bath + dipping. I usually tip (? I thought it went to tzeddaka).

On a related note... Can one use ma'aser money for this?

It makes sense though. Someone who's already done all their preps will need about 10 minutes to rinse off check herself and dunk, while someone who is preping at the mikva will be in there for a minimum of half an hour and be using much more things.

Ditto here.
My old community is $10 and a tip I think a couple of dollars.

11.7966 U.S. dollars (that is what Google says £6 is today). I think the newer Mikvah charges £8.

The only time I gave extra was as a Kallah - the attendant stayed after hours so that I could go on the day that I wanted. She was given £20 but did not want it - so it went to tzedokoh.

$18. There is no tipping policy.

And I think there should be a membership option.

How about EZpass so people dont need to remember their checkbook or cash?

Those are the prices by me, as well. I always give 50, though not for the attendant, for the mikva.

There's a mikvah here that charges $36!

I don't use it!

This is slightly off-topic, but how do you feel about the transpareny that exists in terms of determining the cost of the mikvah?

Personally, this is a subject that really irritates me. The cost of the mikvah in my city is $12. Perfectly reasonable. However, there is no public record or accounting for the costs that led to the decision to charge $12. Maybe only $10 is necessary or maybe more. Who knows?

In truth, it's silly to quibble over a few dollars, but if the mikvah decided tomorrow that they wanted to charge $30 they could so and no one could do anything about it. It's not like you can decide not to go. Some cities charge what I would consider exorbitant rates and I fear one day that will happen in my city.

are the mikvah costs "suggested donations"?
i can't imagine that a woman would be turned away if she couldn't afford the standard mikvah fee or forgot her wallet.

I am not talking about not being able to afford it. Baruch Hashem I could afford it if they decided to charge $25 a visit, but I would still consider it unnecessary and exorbitant if the fee was not fully justified.

Basically, I don't understand how an organization gets away without having to justify their charges. Normally, I wouldn't care - if I didn't like the way a place did business then I would not associate with them. For obvious reasons that is not possible in this case and it irritates me greatly.

maybe you can ask to see their records and ask how they came up with the $12 (or call the hotline?).

Why does it matter if it's a random number? How is it more random than any price a manufacturer lists as the MSRP? They don't delineate why they think it should be that price....and believe me, most of the time it's not for the cost of fabric/labor in the name brands....

I don't understand.

Personally I consider the mikvah a service. I am paying for the time of the attendants and the convience of their rooms, not for the actual water to dip in. If you have any issues with the pricing, there is always the option of the nearest lake.

Does ANY frum organization do this???

There are actually legal prices that a certain item can't be more than, but they're usually much higher than standard price.


I believe that mikvah water is preferable to lake and you're also paying for the water heating/storage, etc.

I still would consider it a service and they have a right to charge whatever they feel it is worth for them to provide it. I'm not bothered by other businesses making profit, so why would a mikvah be any different?

Old mikvah: $18 (but I usually gave $20 because they don't make $18 bills)

New mikvah: $20

The new mikvah has little tzedakah cans in the dressing rooms so I usually empty out any change in my purse while I'm there.

I never even thought of tipping. Does that make me a bad person?

Do you question how the plumber came up with his rate? How the computer technician came up with his rate?
Do you question why the shirt you buy at Boscov's is $30?
Do you question where the shul came up with its membership rate?

All prices are made up. It's usually based on what they think people will pay, and they make sure it covers the cost of labor and materials, etc. but why question the mikvah vs. anything else?

Not many, but some do. The difference is that I can choose to give money to the ones I think spend it wisely and not give to the others. I (my wife) can't refuse to use the mikvah. They almost literally have you bu the cajones.

It's different because I can't take my business elsewhere. They are a service provided to community which the people who administer the mikvah also benefit from, so the existence and purpose of the mikvah is not altruistic.

The mikvah is not (or should not be) proprietary. It is the for the community and it is the community which supports it. It is at least quasi-public and they should certainly not be making a profit. (To whom would that profit be going to?)

I didn't say you should be bothered. Just clarifying.


neither did I. I hope not.


It has happened many times that people in a city were fed up with current mikvah, reorganized and made a new one that was better (whether that mean cheaper, nicer, etc. is up to community)

Because you are stuck going to the mikvah regardless of what they charge as opposed to other businesses. This is fairly obvious.

Many (most) communities have more than one Mikeveh. (or another one close by)
And even if not, there is nothing stopping anyone from opening a new one that is completely transparent about expenses....

And again, we're talking about a negligible sum of money here..... Does it really matter if it is $18 or $36 in the larger scheme of things??? No one is getting rich off of this, most mikevos are lucky to break even and pay off their expenses and upkeep.....

it's a difference between $216/year and $432/year.
that could be the kids pesach and/or rosh hashana clothes right there.

I think most communities outside Israel or NY have one community mikvah. Sometimes there are others (Lubavitch), but those are often more expensive or dilapidated. Realistically, making your own mikvah is not an option. Frankly, it's ludicrous.

$36 a Jewish month means $468 a year. I think that is a substantial amount.

It doesn't say anywhere that there can't be more than one mikvah per comunity. They haven't got any sort of monopoly over you. Noone is stopping someone else showing up and making a new mikvah, or from you (/your wife) using a different comunity's mikvah, or finding some other kosher body of water to dunk in.

Look at the "gym thread" and then come back to me....

Not everyone goes every month.

Quite honestly if the fee in your community mikveh is 12 dollars---you are paying a very cheap rate.

The mikveh lady has to come in and get paid, as do the cleaning staff. Then there is the cost of toiletries, water for the baths/showers, and the cost of the washing machine, and the towels and robes, not to mention the laundry detergent. If you are part of a small community, then there are less women offsetting the cost of all the maintenance, and, it is surprising that the fee is so low. (I think I forgot to add the cost of the mortgage and basic upkeep)

Most mikveh's where I live are 18-20 dollars per visit, and it is a big city, where the waiting rooms are always packed. I never even thought to question the price, as the place is nice, always clean, and has everything a women would need there. Most of the mikvehg's that charge 25-36 dollars have cheaper options. the really expensive ones have jacuzzi tubs, and a spa like atmosphere. I would think if that type of mikveh is available, there is also another one that is cheaper in the vicinity. (mind you there are sometimes that I would willingly pay for that kind of luxury).

Nobody is saying there can't be more than one mikvah per community, but most places outside of NY can only support one or two mikvahs. It's not very practical to just open up a new mikvah, it's expensive and isn't feasable for most people. It's also not practical to use a different community's mikvah or find a kosher body of water to dunk in.

Right, that's my point. You end up paying more for convience.

I don't think the ability to use the mivah that mu community operates should be considered a convenience. Most families in the community paid a standard fee when it was built and most people (I assume) pay yearly dues. That means it belongs to the community and everyone is entitled to use it without it being considered a convenience.


It's all well and good to say those expenses exist, it's another to actually document that they do.