Questions, answered
The things salon owners actually ask before they move their book onto something new.
Getting started
How long does it take to set up?
Minutes. You name your salon, pick your currency and timezone, add your services and hours, and your storefront is live. You can connect payouts later — bookings work before any of that.
Do I need a card to start?
No. The free plan takes real bookings and real deposits. You only pay when you want the features on a paid plan.
Can I move my salon over from another platform?
Yes. The import brings your staff and their commission terms, your menu, and your clients. Anything that will not fit is listed in full at the end rather than dropped silently — a gap you find in three months, in front of a client, is the thing we most want to avoid.
Bookings
Can two clients end up in the same chair?
No. It is not a warning that can be dismissed — the database itself refuses a second booking on a chair that is taken. The instant a slot is held, it is gone for everyone else.
Can a client book several services at once?
Yes, and it becomes one appointment. A cut, a colour and a treatment are priced and timed as a single block on one chair — not three bookings that collide.
Can I book someone in outside my opening hours?
Yes. Published hours filter what clients can see and choose; they do not fence you in. Staff can book off-hours or squeeze someone in, provided the chair itself is free.
What about no-shows and late cancellations?
You set the rules: how much notice is required, whether a deposit is taken, and whether it is refundable. Reminders go out automatically, which is the cheapest way to reduce no-shows.
Money
How do payments work?
Card payments run through Stripe. You can take a deposit at booking and the balance at the chair, or the full amount up front. Full card numbers never touch our servers.
When am I paid?
Payouts go to the account you connect, on your payment provider's schedule. The charge is routed to a single account; commission, booth rent and tips are recorded in your ledger rather than split at the card terminal.
Does it handle commission and booth rent?
Yes — per artist, with the terms recorded on the appointment at the time it happens. That means changing a price or a rate today never rewrites what someone was owed last month.
Which currencies do you support?
Each salon runs in its own currency, including zero-decimal ones like JPY. Prices, deposits and reports all follow it.
Your salon, your brand
Will it look like ChairWatch or like me?
Like you. Your storefront takes your colours, fonts and logo. Clients see your salon — ours is a small line at the bottom.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes. You can point your own domain at your storefront instead of using the address we give you.
Can I run more than one location?
Yes. Add each shop, place your artists in the ones they actually work in, and the calendar will only ever offer a slot that can really be booked.
Can my team have different permissions?
Yes. Roles are built from named privileges, so a receptionist can take bookings without seeing payroll, and only the people you choose can send a campaign or cancel an appointment.
Your data
Who owns my client list?
You do. We hold it on your behalf, we never sell it, and we never market to your clients. You can export it whenever you like.
Can another salon see my data?
No. Every record belongs to exactly one salon, and that boundary is enforced in the database — not by a filter someone could forget to apply.
What happens if I leave?
You can export your data, and we delete or anonymise what remains as described in the Privacy Policy. No hostage-taking.
Still wondering something?
Ask us directly at support@chairwatch.com, or head to the contact page.