Spa Management Software: The Ultimate Guide

Spa Booking Systems: 7 Features Your Software Needs

People book a spa day to treat themselves, and that experience starts when they decide to make an appointment. Using an online booking system that pampers clients with effortless scheduling means they’re more likely to believe they’ll have a relaxed, rejuvenating time with you, too.

In this guide, we’ll explore how your spa scheduling software can make or break the client experience and what features you should look for in a modern spa management software that will fit your needs.

What’s Spa Scheduling and Appointment Software?

Spa scheduling software is an application or platform that is built to address the particular booking needs of spa businesses. Generic scheduling systems can achieve some of the same features—a work calendar to track appointments, manual phone calls for reminders, a spreadsheet hand-populated with utilization statistics, and so on—but dedicated spa booking systems allow businesses to centralize and automate as many of those processes as possible. 

What to Look for in Spa Appointment Software

So, what sets great spa appointment booking software apart from general-purpose solutions? Certain features will help give your self-care business the biggest advantage possible. Here are seven to prioritize.

Self-Booking

If you want to zero in on one feature in spa scheduling software, prioritize an excellent self-booking experience, so clients can easily nab appointments from wherever. Look for online appointment booking software that is:

• Easy to use across phone, tablet, and laptop

• Beautiful and inviting out of the box with customization features to match your spa’s individual aesthetic

• Usable both on your website and other apps, including Facebook, Instagram, or Google Search

• Deeply integrated with the rest of your scheduling system

If your solution checks all those boxes, you’ll be ready to offer your clients a superior experience way before they check in for their first visit.

Optimized Scheduling

Your self-booking experience should do more than show potential clients a list of available times. It should consider the time it takes staff to transition, process, and close out a service. Optimizing your calendar means your team has the time to perform all their duties beyond attending to clients, keeping clients happy and appointments running on schedule.

Form Handling

Chances are clients won’t show up 15 minutes early to their appointments, even if you ask really nicely. Normally, arriving right on time isn’t a problem—unless you need to onboard a new client. Rather than risking delays by sending new clients back to the waiting area with a clipboard, build onboarding into the booking process.

Good salon software makes it easy to gather and record data from required forms, offering everything from custom designs to HIPPA-approved data collection. Plus, all the info should flow straight into an all-in-one client profile that’s available across all of your business’ locations. 

Integrated Payment Systems

A payment system that’s built into your POS makes checkout much more efficient. And when clients move faster through the transaction, they’re less likely to abandon their carts and more likely to purchase extra products and services. Holding your clients’ attention at checkout creates a great opportunity to upsell high-end services, a monthly membership, or complimentary products, increasing revenue without staff having to practice a sales pitch.

Automated Reminders

No-shows are no fun for anybody, but they don’t have to be a grim inevitability. Using automated SMS confirmations and appointment reminders as part of your spa booking system reduces no-shows and late cancellations by 71%. That means more appointments, fewer employees sitting around with nothing to do, and more chances to turn a new client into a regular. 

Advanced Reporting

To build a better self-care business, you can’t only take a day-to-day view of money in and money out. You have to spot trends in who is booking what, when, and why. This will let you see when your spa is most profitable, for example, and when late starts and days off are least likely to impact customer service and revenue. The best booking software has reporting tools built-in, letting you skip straight to the data that empowers better decision making. 

Excellent Customer Support

You took the time to find the perfect spa booking software for your business, but you’re still bound to have questions. Whether you need help adding your self-booking system to your website or need help troubleshooting a scheduling bug, you should be able to count on customer support that’s just as committed to your business as you are. Look for a platform with a dedicated support team, in-depth documentation, and ample educational resources to ensure you can get the assistance you need, when you need it.

The Benefits of Booking Software for Salons and Spas

Your booking software sets the tone for a client’s whole experience. A fast booking system brings them in on a high note, while tough-to-navigate apps and websites might make a potential client close the window and look for another spa entirely.
Here’s why a smooth booking experience helps your spa run on schedule and keeps clients coming back.

Easier Online Appointment Booking for Clients

Clients should be able to schedule, reschedule, or cancel an appointment in a few clicks. Calendar widgets and online booking portals with intuitive navigation are part of a thoughtful spa experience, encouraging first-time clients to book a service and returning clients to make your spa part of their self-care routine.

Improved Staff Management and Schedule Visibility

Smart booking software can spot trends like the most popular days, time slots, and services. With this data, managers can create more thoughtful staffing strategies, whether it’s building out weekly schedules further in advance or bringing more specialists onto the team to meet growing demand for a particular service.

Fewer No-Shows and Gaps in Appointment Scheduling

Clear cancellation policies, prepayments, and self-service rescheduling options are just a few ways spa software incentivizes clients to show up to their service. The software can also send automated texts and email reminders to reduce no-shows. These pokes don’t just remind clients about their appointment—clear “confirm” and “reschedule” buttons mean they’re less likely to ghost, so your staff can fill the slot if a client’s schedule changes.

Doubles as Marketing

Clients can opt in for emails or text messages that give information about new services or special offers. As you collect more information about your clients, like their preferred services, booking frequency, and average money spent, you can segment your audience to tailor email marketing. Your POS system can keep track of who’s on what list and automate those messages.

Top Spa Booking Systems for Salons and Spas

Finding the right booking software shouldn’t be more complicated than HydraFacial therapy.

Here are three popular booking system choices to streamline spa management, whether you’re a small business or a medspa with a dozen locations.

1. Boulevard

Boulevard’s automation features provide a squeaky clean experience for guests and wellness teams alike. Precise scheduling optimizes the entire self-booking process using algorithms that learn scheduling habits to offer the best times for individual clients and group bookings. Plus, Boulevard’s marketing features make it easy for your team to upsell add-ons and memberships so they can focus on their services rather than sales pitches.

Behind the scenes, managers can use Boulevard’s in-depth reporting data to track sales trends. This data zeroes in on individual clients, staff members, and locations, so you’re empowered to make smarter marketing and business decisions.

2. Vagaro

Geared toward fitness centers, spas, and salons, Vagaro’s spa management software is the leanest offering on this list. It has a straightforward calendar system with simple features like client notes and color-coded calendars for quick visual reference. It also links to the Vagaro marketplace, a collection of local wellness providers where potential clients can discover your business.

The biggest downside of Vagaro is that it collects client data as a third-party service and showcases your business alongside competitors, which could cause you to lose potential clients.

3. Mangomint

Mangomint is a salon and spa management software that includes separate tools for booking and checkout help, payroll, and inventory management. It has limited customization options for drafting forms, customizing reports, and refund and payment processing. And it might not be the best option for self-care businesses looking to grow: It only has a few high-level features designed for multi-location spas.

Streamline Online Booking and Appointment Scheduling With Boulevard

Whether it’s a prospective client’s first impression of your salon or a return guest scheduling their next appointment, your booking page and scheduling system set the tone for treatment. Behind the scenes, this software simplifies front-of-house and treatment providers’ jobs, helping your teams focus on delivering the best services possible.

Boulevard empowers medspas and salons to do their best work from the start with all-in-one booking software. It puts appointment booking, POS systems, and client profiles in a single platform so clients and team members can enter each treatment feeling relaxed and ready to go.

Explore Boulevard for Medspas and Salons to see how you can make it easier to provide an experience that turns first-timers into regulars. 

FAQ

How Does Online Booking Help Salons and Spas?

Online booking lets clients self-service scheduling whenever the mood strikes, reducing your team’s administrative tasks and potentially boosting the number of appointments you see. And automated features (like upsells, segmented marketing, and appointment reminders) can increase revenue and minimize no-shows.

What Should I Look for in Staff Management and Reporting?

Look for software that allows you to build customizable report templates. Customization lets you gather the insights that matter most to your business, whether it’s simplifying payroll processing or analyzing the success of email campaigns and loyalty programs. 

Can One System Handle Booking, POS, and Management Together?

Yes, Boulevard allows medspas and salons to manage booking, POS, and staff management from a single platform.