facials

facials

Monday, May 4, 2015

Website ideas: Salon Hours + scheduling ideas

The Hours page on my [older version] website.

Availability & Hours

Appointment availability: TuesdaysFridays
  • Business hours are BY APPOINTMENT. Please call to set up your best appointment time
  • General hours of 1st & last appointments: 11am - 5pm
  • Salon is closed Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays; product pickup IS available on Mondays
  • Please call ahead for product pickup
  • There is no waxing at the salon
  • If you are sick or feel like you are getting sick, please call me to reschedule your appointment
To schedule an appointment, request product pickup,
or to purchase a Gift Certificate please call 303.330.6161


Letting your clients know the hours your salon is open is obvious, but crucial. Its not the end of the world if a potential customer has to call to find out your hours, but to me its not preferable. This information should be readily available, whether on the web or on your salon door or spa desk. Since facials are by appointment services, having your hours readily available for potential clients to see just makes thing easier.

As you can see I have a shorter, 4-day work week (Tuesday-Friday) and not a long day (10:30am to potentially 6:30pm, with first and last appointments at 11am and 5pm). This lighter schedule has come from 30 years working as an aesthetician. Im still in the game, dont get me wrong, but I will say without a doubt I am not the workhorse I used to be. This more relaxed way of being coincides with my mental state as a now almost 54-year-old person. I loved having drive and ambition. Now I have experiencea seasoned aesthetician as someone once called me. So dont take my schedule as lackadaisical, see it as something to strive for perhaps after you have put in your time.

When I first started my business in 1994, I worked every other Monday and every other Saturday. This meant that one week I worked Monday-Friday with Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off. The next week I’d work Tuesday-Saturday with only Sunday off. This, however, gave me two Saturdays off per month, something I hadnt experienced for years, along with 3 days off in a row every other week.

Other years I worked a straight Tuesday-Saturday schedule, with Sundays and Mondays off. Toward the end of my time in Chicago, I gave myself three days off per week, working Wednesday-Saturday. Now, as you’ve read, I work four day weeks, Tuesday-Friday. I have a volunteer shift at a horse rescue every Saturday, and I never (never) have worked on Sundays.

Also, now I simply dont like to work early in the morning. My first appointment is 11am. My previous, normal first client would be 10amfor most of my career. I also would offer as late as a 6pm facial. I preferred this get in later, leave later schedule. You may be different. Or you may have children, so youll need to be at home earlier.

With the exception of my Chicago storefront, I have always lived relatively close to my salon spaces. Therefore I havent ever really been stuck at the office if I have long breaks between facials. I can leave, run errands, go walk my dog, or be home writing if I have a cancellation or if my schedule simply isnt completely full or I have long breaks. This may not be possible for everyone, but living close to my office is almost a must for me, giving me flexiblity with my by appointment schedule. 

You will be the determiner of your schedule. Working Mondays can be beneficial since many salons and spas are closed Mondays. You, then, can catch a lot of business with people who want Monday facials. Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best for you. Without giving different schedules a try, you might not know what will truly work best for you and your clients as well.

This page on my website gives
a potential client the basic guidelines for my business. As Ive said, currently I dont work in the early morning nor super late at night. In previous years my 1st appointment was at 9:30am or 10am and my last availability was a 6pm facial. Up until recently I always worked on Saturdays, a key day for all the Monday through Friday 9 to 5ers. You will have to come up with whatever hours work best for you in your life. Experiment. You may come up with a schedule you love that you hadnt considered before.   

If you are sick or feel like you are getting sick, please call me to reschedule your appointment. As you will see as you go through my website pages for salon information, I have this line repeated throughout. Its repeated because it is important. I would not go into my work environment if I was sick because the potential to get a client sick is high. And I do expect the same respect from my clients. Most are very conscientious and would never put me in harm’s way, but there are always those who just dont get it. I have had too many sick clients come in for their facials and get me sick. So please, just dont do it!

Also see: