Booking software for hair salons
Hair is the business TimeToBook was built for. Colour that develops while you start the next client, a cut and foils booked as one appointment, prices that differ by stylist, a patch test before a new colour client, and regulars who need a nudge at six weeks. One stylist is free, each extra stylist is a flat monthly fee, and there is no marketplace commission.
Free for one staff member. No card needed. Last updated 28 October 2026.
The short version
TimeToBook is a good fit for hair salons from a solo stylist or rent-a-chair up to about ten stylists. It handles processing time, multi-service bookings, per-stylist pricing, online booking with reminders and deposits, and it is free for one person. It does not do point of sale, stock ordering, commission reports or marketplace listings. If you want the booking basics done properly for a fraction of what Timely or Phorest charge, this is it.
Hair salons by the numbers
Figures we use when we talk to hairdressers. Every one links to where it came from.
- 46%
- Of salon online bookings are made outside opening hours, when nobody is answering the phone.
- 5%
- UK national average of salon clients who did not show up and gave no notice, after reopening in 2021.
- 5.4% to 1.9%
- Drop in no-shows at salons that switched on online deposits.
- 48 hours
- Minimum gap between an allergy alert test and a colour service under UK NHBF guidance.
Source: Phorest data via Salon Today, 2019
Source: Phorest via Estetica, 2021
Source: Phorest via Hairdressers Journal, 2021
Source: NHBF allergy alert testing FAQs, 2023
What hairdressers need from booking software
The problems that come up every time we talk to hair salon owners, and what TimeToBook does about each one.
| The need | How TimeToBook handles it |
|---|---|
| Colour developing while you start the next client | Every service can have processing time: hands-off minutes at the end that another client can be booked into, online or by you. A full colour with 45 minutes application and 40 minutes processing frees the stylist for a 30-minute cut in the gap. The calendar draws processing as a striped strip under the booking so nobody loses track of the client at the basin. Feature details |
| Cut, colour and toner as one appointment | Clients add several services to a single online booking and the calendar draws them as one connected block, each service starting after the previous one and its processing time. One confirmation, one reminder, one record. Because processing always sits at the end of a service, "apply, develop, then rinse and cut" is set up as a colour service with processing time plus a finish service booked together. Feature details |
| Different prices for a junior, a senior and the owner | The same service can have a different price and duration for each stylist, so a cut is one line on your menu and the price follows whoever the client picks. Price tiers let you set a stylist's level once and apply it across the menu. Clients choose a stylist or "any available". Feature details |
| A patch test before a new colour client | Add "Allergy alert test" as a free 15-minute service and tell new colour clients to book it at least 48 hours before their colour in the service description. TimeToBook does not enforce the gap between the two bookings, so a client could book them too close; both show on the calendar and you can move one. Feature details |
| Regrowth pricing by how long it has been | Salons that charge more for a retouch past six or eight weeks list the tiers as separate services ("Root retouch, up to 6 weeks" and "Root retouch, 6 weeks plus"). The client picks; their last visit date is on the booking screen so you can correct it before they sit down. Rebooking reminders in TimeToBook Plus email clients when they are due, with a one-tap link that pre-selects their usual stylist and services. Feature details |
| Rent-a-chair stylists on one calendar | Each stylist has their own working hours (including a week A and week B rota), their own column on the calendar, and their own app login that can be limited to their own bookings. The salon pays one flat fee per bookable stylist and nothing per booking, so a chair renter costs the same whether they do ten clients or sixty. Feature details |
| Fewer no-shows on three-hour colour appointments | Email reminders are automatic and free. SMS reminders go 24 hours before on prepaid credits. Clients can cancel themselves from the manage link inside your notice window, which frees the slot. Where online payments are available, deposits can be required on long services only, refunded automatically for cancellations in time and kept for no-shows. Feature details |
| Moving from Timely, Fresha or a paper diary | Bookings import from a CSV export of any system, and clients and client notes import directly from a Timely export. Services are typed in by hand or sent to support to load for you. Most salons are live in an afternoon. Feature details |
A hair salon service menu, as TimeToBook stores it
Every service in TimeToBook has a duration, optional processing time (hands-off time another client can be booked into), optional buffer time (clean-down nobody can book into), a price, and a rebook interval that drives automatic rebooking reminders. Here is a typical hair salon menu set up that way. Durations are typical, not rules; adjust them to how you actually work.
Processing figures follow manufacturer developing times (roughly 30 to 40 minutes for roots, 50 to 60 for lightening). Rebook intervals follow what salons actually see: men every 4 to 6 weeks, short cuts every 4, longer cuts every 6 to 8, balayage every 12 to 14.
| Service | Duration | Processing | Buffer | Rebook | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's cut and finish | 60 min | – | – | 7 wks | £27 to £99 |
| Men's cut | 30 min | – | – | 5 wks | £19 to £72 |
| Kids cut | 30 min | – | – | 6 wks | £18 to £25 |
| Blow-dry | 45 min | – | – | – | £17 to £73 |
| Root retouch Application, then developing time another client can book into | 30 min | 35 min | – | 6 wks | £56 to £83 |
| Full colour | 45 min | 40 min | – | 8 wks | £61 to £110 |
| Half head foils | 75 min | 30 min | – | 10 wks | £70 to £173 |
| Full head foils | 105 min | 35 min | – | 12 wks | £86 to £218 |
| Balayage | 120 min | 45 min | – | 13 wks | £84 to £300 |
| Rinse, cut and finish Booked after any colour service | 45 min | – | – | – | £34 to £46 |
| Toner | 30 min | – | – | – | £12 to £48 |
| Keratin smoothing | 180 min | – | 15 min | – | £160 to £310 |
| Allergy alert test New colour clients, at least 48 hours before colour | 15 min | – | – | – | Free |
Typical prices are UK ranges from published salon menus, checked October 2026. Set your own in TimeToBook; the software does not dictate pricing.
What TimeToBook costs a hair salon
The first staff member is free, forever. Each additional staff member is £10 a month. No marketplace commission, no contract.
Solo hair salon
Free
One bookable person. Online booking page, calendar, email reminders and confirmations, client records, the mobile app. Not a trial.
Four-stylist salon
£30/month
4 bookable staff: the first is free, then 3 × £10. The owner plus three stylists, each with their own prices, hours and column on the calendar.
SMS reminders
Prepaid credits, £4 per 100. They never expire. Email reminders are free and unlimited.
Deposits
Take a deposit on online bookings with TimeToBook Plus. A 7% platform fee per deposit, card processing included. No monthly fee for payments.
No marketplace commission
Nobody takes a cut of a booking made through your page, and your clients are your clients. The only per-transaction fee is on payments taken through TimeToBook, where that is available, and it includes card processing.
Is TimeToBook right for your hair salon?
Simple on purpose. Here is who it suits best, and the few things we leave out.
A good fit if you…
- Run a salon with one to about ten stylists, including rent-a-chair and home salons
- Want colour processing time to count as free time without a workaround
- Want clients to book cut plus colour online, pick their stylist, and get reminders without you lifting a finger
- Are paying per-stylist fees to Timely or marketplace commission to Fresha and want the same basics for less
- Would rather set up in an afternoon than sit through onboarding calls
What we don’t do
- A till, card terminal, tipping or end-of-day cash-up inside the booking app
- Colour-bar stock tracking and commission reports (there is a simple inventory list, nothing more)
Questions hairdressers ask us
-
How does processing time work for colour?
- Set a service's duration as the hands-on part and its processing time as the developing part. The stylist is busy for the duration and free during processing, so a second client can be booked into that window online or by you. Processing always sits at the end of the service; if the stylist needs to come back for a rinse and finish, set that up as a separate short service and book both together.
-
Can clients book a cut and colour together online?
- Yes. Clients pick several services and TimeToBook works out the total time, including processing, and only offers start times where the whole appointment fits inside the stylist's hours. The services show as one connected block on the calendar with one confirmation and one reminder.
-
Can each stylist have their own prices?
- Yes. Every service can have a custom price and duration per stylist, and price tiers let you set a stylist's level (junior, senior, director) once and apply it across the menu. The booking page shows the right price once the client picks a stylist.
-
How do I handle patch tests for colour?
- Most salons add a free "Allergy alert test" service that new colour clients book online, with the 48-hour rule in the description. TimeToBook does not refuse a colour booking that is too close to the test; it is on your calendar and you can move it. Record the test date in the client's notes so it shows on every future booking.
-
Does it work for rent-a-chair stylists?
- Yes. Each stylist has their own hours, their own calendar column and their own login in the mobile app. The salon pays one flat fee per bookable stylist regardless of how many bookings they take. There is no per-stylist booking link; clients choose the stylist on the salon's booking page.
-
Can I take deposits for colour appointments only?
- Yes, with TimeToBook Plus where online payments are available in your region. Deposits are set per service, fixed or a percentage, so foils and balayage can require one while a fringe trim does not. Deposits are refunded automatically for cancellations inside your notice window and kept for late cancellations and no-shows.
-
Can I move my bookings and clients from Timely or Fresha?
- Bookings import from a CSV export of any system through a step-by-step wizard, and you can undo an import if the mapping went wrong. Clients and client notes import directly from Timely exports. Services need typing in, or send us your list and support will load it.
-
What does it cost for a salon with four stylists?
- The first bookable stylist is free and each additional one is a flat monthly fee, so four stylists is three additional staff. The per-stylist price for your region is on the pricing page, and there is no marketplace commission and no contract. SMS reminders use prepaid credits; email reminders are free.
Further reading
-
Your Salon Calendar, Without the Chaos
Paper diaries, phone calendars, and mental notes don't scale. Here's how a proper salon calendar keeps your day running smoothly.
-
Multi-Service Bookings Made Simple
Clients don't always come in for just one thing. Here's how to handle cut-and-colour appointments, multi-step treatments, and longer visits without calendar headaches.
TimeToBook for other businesses
-
Barbershops
Booking software for barbershops: 15 and 30-minute slots, walk-ins beside online bookings, clients pick their barber, SMS reminders, no marketplace commission.
-
Beauty salons and skin clinics
Booking software for beauty salons and skin clinics: mixed menus, mask time another client can book into, consultations, reminders and deposits. Free for one.
-
Nail salons
Booking software for nail salons and nail techs: infill vs full set services, removal add-ons, 3-week rebook reminders, deposits, SMS reminders. Free for one.
- All industries
Set up your hair salon in an afternoon
Type in your services, add your hours, share the link. Free for one person, £10 a month for each extra staff member after that.
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