What softwarea beauty salon needs

A paper appointment book at the front desk, bookings that come in by text, a notebook with how many sessions each client has left and a spreadsheet for the day's totals. Everything lives in a different place, and at the end of the day you're the one who has to pull it together. This guide covers what beauty salon software should handle, how to look after clients' health information, a quick test to decide between off-the-shelf and custom software, and a sample you can try.

A calendar that knows how long each treatment takes

In a salon, every treatment takes up a room, sometimes a machine, and a provider for a different amount of time: a manicure, half an hour; a facial, an hour; a laser session, depending on the area. The software has to know this so it never double-books a room or offers a slot the treatment doesn't fit in.

• Day and week views, by room and by provider.
• The length of each treatment, blocking exactly the right time, with a few minutes to reset the room if needed.
• Online bookings that appear automatically, next to phone and text bookings, in one list.
• A status for each appointment: confirmed, pending, completed or no-show.
• Automatic reminders, with a link to reschedule or cancel.

A record for each client

The client record holds what the salon knows about each person: contact details, every visit with its treatment and price, what she usually spends, her favorite treatment, her birthday if she chose to share it, and the team's notes, such as "sensitive skin around the eyes" or "prefers morning appointments." With it, anyone at the salon can take care of her without asking the same questions again.

Health information needs extra care. To do a treatment safely, salons often ask about allergies, medications, pregnancy or skin conditions. That information is sensitive, and the rules for keeping it can depend on your state. Check with a lawyer about what applies to you.

In the software, that comes down to three things:

• Ask only what you need for the treatment, and keep it in the client record, not in text threads or loose papers.
• Only the people who need it can see it, with a username and password for each team member.
• Keep consent with the record. The client's consent to store that information and, if she gave it, her consent to use her before-and-after photos.

Treatment packages and gift cards

Many treatments are sold as a series, such as a package of six laser sessions or five massages. The software has to know how many sessions each client has paid for, how many she has left and until when she can use them, and deduct one at each visit. Gift cards work the same way: a code for each card, its amount or the treatment it covers, its expiration date and whether it has been used.

Daily totals, tips and monthly financials

At the end of the day, the software should show how much came in and how: cash, card or a payment app, plus the tips for each provider. At the end of the month, it should show income, expenses such as products, rent or equipment, and what's left. If it also breaks down what each treatment and each provider brings in, you'll know what to promote and how to calculate commissions.

Off-the-shelf or custom software for your salon?

There's off-the-shelf software for beauty salons that handles the calendar, client records and checkout. It works if the way you run your salon fits it. Check off what applies to you to see which option makes sense.

Software you can try

Maison Ivoire is a sample beauty studio with its website, online booking and software: overview, calendar, client records, accounting and reviews. You can open it and try it, like the other projects.

Maison Ivoire

Beauty studio: a website in five languages with treatments and prices, before-and-after results and booking, plus software with calendar, clients and accounts.

Open the project →

Jumpoline

Trampoline park: a website for booking from a phone and software with capacity-based bookings, ticket office, parties and passes.

Open the project →

Salitre

Vermouth brand: a website in four languages and software for orders, stock by batch and reviews, with ordering by QR code.

Open the project →

To see what the salon's website needs, with the treatment menu, online booking and before-and-after photos, read What a beauty salon website needs to get bookings.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

What a beauty salon website needs to get bookingsHow to design a small business website that brings in customersWhat a website needs for each type of small business

Proclub Agency. Custom websites and management software for businesses. This guide is reviewed whenever its sources change.