How much deposit to charge in a beauty salon or hairdresser's

Percentage or fixed amount

A percentage adjusts itself to the price: 30% of an 80-euro treatment is 24, and of a 15-euro brow shaping it's 4.50. A fixed amount is easier to explain ("booking costs 10 euros, which comes off the total").

If your prices vary a lot between services, go for a percentage. If they're similar, a fixed amount is better.

Which services to ask it for

You don't need to ask for it on everything. Where it pays off most:

• Services of more than an hour, which block half a morning if someone doesn't show.
• Expensive services: colour, highlights, extensions, facial or body treatments.
• First visits from clients you don't know.
• Clients who have already missed an appointment with you.

How to say it without losing clients

Say it when they book and put it positively: "the deposit holds your slot and comes off the total". Almost nobody complains about a clear condition; what annoys people is finding out afterwards.

Put it in writing in your cancellation policy, visible on your booking page and in the confirmation message.

What to do when they cancel

If they cancel with the notice you set, it's refunded or kept for the next appointment. If they don't let you know or let you know too late, the deposit stays with the business, which is exactly what it's for.

Taking it by Bizum or card when they book, and not "when they come", is what makes it work.

Frequently asked questions