Always upfront and not discreetly counted  in front of them.

I do count in front but over the years I've discovered it's easier to count while they in the bathroom.

Yes I always do, I ask them "do you mind if we get the business sorted first?" in the first 5 minutes of the booking, I thank them nicely and most of them even say "check if that's right" or "you can count it if you want" and I do it in front of them, then put it aside and say "perfect thank you, now that is sorted.." and then we can pretend we forget it's a paid service. I used to be nervous at first but I don't want to discover at the end of the day when I count my fees that a note is missing (accidentally or not). I even gave a note back if it was more than my rate and 9 out of 10 they will give it to me as a tip because I've been fair with them.

We all run our business in our personal way, I suppose.
In this particular aspect, most of the times, since my appointments are planned well in advance and last fairly long time, I take the envelope without even opening it in front of the guy.. knowing that, well before the meeting is over, I'd find a discreet place and time to check if the anount of money is actually what we agreed beforehand.... So far every single time it did, never had any problem, thanks God!