The Bookatu blog
Practical, no-nonsense advice for service businesses. Cutting no-shows, building steady income, getting found online, and keeping more of what you earn.
Salon Cancellation Policy Examples You Can Copy Today
Copy-and-paste salon cancellation policy examples for salons, spas, barbers, gyms and clinics. Swap in your own notice and deposit, then go live the same day.
How to Set Up Online Booking: A Simple Guide for Owners
A plain, practical guide to setting up online booking for a small service business: what to prep, how to list your services, and the settings that quietly protect your day.
SMS vs Email Appointment Reminders: Cut No-Shows
SMS or email for appointment reminders? Each does a different job. Here's how to use both at the right moment to cut no-shows, with timing and wording that work.
How to Get More 5-Star Reviews for Your Salon or Clinic
A practical guide to getting more 5-star reviews for your salon, spa, studio or clinic: when to ask, how to make it effortless, and how to keep unhappy clients off your public page.
How to Price Your Services Without Guessing
A plain, practical guide to pricing your services: work out your real costs, charge for the result, sanity-check local rates, and raise prices without losing good clients.
How to Fill Quiet Weekday Appointment Slots
Dead Tuesday mornings and that 2pm gap cost you money. Here's how to fill quiet weekday appointment slots without dropping your prices or chasing strangers.
Paper Diary to Online Booking: The Calm Way to Switch
Still running your salon on a paper diary? Here's the calm, stage-by-stage way to move to online booking without losing appointments, confusing regulars, or wiping out a weekend.
Why 0% booking commission matters for your margins
A per-booking commission looks small on one appointment. Across a full year of bookings it is one of the largest invisible costs a service business carries.
How to Automate Your Salon Front Desk (Without Sounding Like a Robot)
Your salon front desk is a pile of small repeating jobs eating your day. Here's how to automate bookings, reminders, deposits and the waitlist so they run themselves.
Getting paid your way: money into your account, not a platform wallet
Some platforms hold your money in their wallet and pay you on their schedule. With Bookatu, deposits and sales go straight into your own Stripe account. Here is why that matters.
Gift cards: a quiet cash-flow engine for small studios
Gift cards are money in the bank today for services you deliver later, and every one you sell can introduce a brand new client to your business.
Fill your calendar without discounting: rebooking and waitlists
Discounts fill chairs by training clients to wait for the next deal. There is a better way to fill a quiet week: rebook before they leave, and let a smart waitlist mop up the gaps.