How to set up online booking for a nail salon
· 5 min read
A nail studio's price list looks simple: a handful of services with a price next to each. The day behind it is less simple. A gel polish change takes under an hour, while a new set of extensions can take two and a half. A client who arrives with extensions done somewhere else can stretch either of them. Most booking systems for nail salons cope with this well, but only once you tell them how long each kind of work really takes.
One service for each kind of work
List services the way clients ask for them, each with its own length. These are common starting points:
| Service | Typical length |
|---|---|
| Classic manicure | 30-45 min |
| Gel polish on natural nails | 45-60 min |
| Gel polish with removal of the old gel | 60-75 min |
| Full set of gel or acrylic extensions | 120-150 min |
| Infill (refill) | 60-90 min |
| Removal of gel polish only | 15-20 min |
| Removal of extensions | 30-45 min |
Treat the table as a first guess. Time yourself on the next five or six clients for each service and use your average rather than your fastest time. If short and long nails make a real difference for you, split the service into "infill, short" and "infill, long". The client picks, and you get a slot that fits.
Removal deserves its own line on the list. Soaking off your own gel takes a few minutes. Taking off a full set done in another salon can take half an hour, and if the client books only a new set, that half hour comes out of the next client's time.
Time between clients
After each client you disinfect the tools, change the towel, clear the dust from the table and wash your hands. That takes about ten minutes, and after a full set with a lot of filing often fifteen. If the booking system does not know about it, every appointment starts a little late, and by the afternoon a client is waiting at the door.
Polish raises one more question. Gel is cured under the lamp and needs no drying time. Regular polish does: if the client stays at your table while it dries, count those minutes into the service. If she moves to a drying spot and you can start on the next client, leave them out.
Refills at the right interval
Nail work comes back on a schedule. Gel polish usually lasts two to three weeks, and extensions need an infill every two to three weeks. After four weeks the regrowth is often too much for a normal infill, which is why many studios charge more after that point or book a new set instead.
That makes the end of one appointment the best moment to book the next. Before the client leaves, agree on a date three weeks out and put it in the calendar. A regular whose next visit is already booked rarely drifts to another studio, and you can see next month filling up instead of guessing.
For clients who prefer to decide later, put the interval into the service description, for example "infill, recommended every 2 to 3 weeks". It saves a lot of messages asking when to come back.
Patch tests
Patch tests are less common for nails than for lashes or hair colour, but some studios ask for one when a new client has reacted to gel products before. If you do them, set the test up as a separate service of 10 to 15 minutes and book it at least two days before the main appointment, so there is time to see whether the skin reacts. A test that sits in the calendar like any other visit does not get forgotten.
No-shows on long sets
A missed infill costs you up to an hour and a half. A missed full set costs two and a half hours, and on a Saturday that time could have gone to two other clients. Industry figures put no-shows at 12 to 18 per cent of bookings without a deposit and 5 to 7 per cent with one.
Two things help most:
- A reminder the day before, with a link to cancel. Most no-shows are clients who forgot, and a cancellation the evening before still leaves time to offer the slot to someone else. What to write is in our post on reminders.
- A deposit on long work. Full sets and nail art of two hours or more are where a deposit pays off. Quick gel changes can stay open to everyone.
How it works in Termeva
Each service in Termeva has its own length and its own buffer before and after, so cleanup time is reserved automatically and the client never sees it. Clients book on your website without an app or an account: they choose the service, the technician and the time. The confirmation email goes out straight away and the reminder the day before, both with a cancel link. If several technicians work with you, the calendar shows the bookings of each one. Deposits are coming soon on the Studio plan. More about Termeva for nail studios is on the nail salon page.
Questions
How long should a gel manicure appointment be?
Plan 45 to 60 minutes for gel polish on natural nails and 60 to 75 if the old gel has to come off first. On top of that, leave about 10 minutes between clients for cleaning up.
How often should nail clients book a refill?
Clients with gel or acrylic extensions usually come for an infill after two to three weeks, and gel polish lasts about as long. Booking the next visit before the client leaves is the easiest way to keep that rhythm.
Do clients need an app to book a nail appointment online?
No. A good booking page opens in the phone's browser, and the client picks a service and a time and leaves a name and contact details. Asking clients to install an app or create an account loses bookings at the last step.
How can a nail salon reduce no-shows on long appointments?
Remind clients a day ahead and include a cancel link, so those who cannot come tell you while there is still time to rebook. For full sets and other long work, a deposit is the strongest protection.
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