How To Draft Booking Terms For Beauty Salons

Can you charge a client if they cancel at the last minute, arrive late, or simply don't show up?

Yes, you usually can - but your booking terms need to be clear, fair and accepted before the appointment. For beauty salons and clinics, that means spelling out deposits, cancellation windows, no-show fees, late arrivals, prepaid packages and treatment suitability in a way your clients can actually understand.

The good news is this doesn't have to feel heavy or legalistic. Strong booking terms and conditions are really about setting expectations early, protecting your team's time, and giving clients a smooth experience from the moment they book.

Can You Charge A Deposit For Salon Appointments?

Yes, you can charge a deposit for salon appointments in New Zealand, as long as the client knows about it before they book and your terms explain when the deposit will be kept or refunded.

A deposit is often the simplest way to reduce no-shows for higher-value treatments. For example, you might charge a 30% deposit for injectables consultations, a 50% deposit for lash extensions, or a fixed $50 deposit for long colour appointments.

Your booking terms should say:

• how much the deposit is, either as a dollar amount or percentage
• whether it's deducted from the final treatment price
• when it becomes non-refundable
• what happens if the client reschedules within your allowed window
• what happens if you cancel the appointment
• how the deposit will be refunded, if a refund is due

Be careful with phrases like non-refundable deposit. You can use them, but they don't give you a free pass to keep money in every situation. If your salon cancels, your therapist is unavailable, or you can't safely provide the service, you'll usually need to refund the deposit or offer a suitable alternative.

It also helps to be clear about whether the payment is a deposit, booking fee or part-payment. Clients don't always understand the difference, and confusion is where complaints often start.

If you take card details at the time of booking, make sure your booking platform terms and payment provider rules allow you to charge later cancellation or no-show fees. Your terms should match how the payment process actually works.

Can You Charge A No-Show Or Cancellation Fee?

Yes, you can charge a no-show or late cancellation fee, but it should be reasonable and clearly agreed before the appointment is confirmed.

Under the Fair Trading Act 1986, you must not mislead clients about fees or hide key terms until after they have booked. The Commerce Commission can take issue with unfair or unclear standard terms, especially where consumers don't have a real chance to negotiate them.

A good salon cancellation policy usually includes:

• a clear cancellation window, such as 24 hours or 48 hours before the appointment
• the fee that applies if the client cancels inside that window
• whether the fee is a fixed amount, the deposit amount, or a percentage of the service price
• how clients can cancel, such as through your booking system, email, phone or SMS
• what happens if the client is sick or there's an emergency
• whether you treat repeated cancellations differently

The fee should connect to your real business loss. That might include the appointment time you held, staff wages, products prepared, or the chance that you couldn't fill the spot at short notice.

Worked Example

Say Mia runs a brow and lash salon in Wellington. A full lash extension set costs $180 and takes two hours. Mia's booking terms require a $60 deposit and say clients must give at least 48 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule.

A client cancels 10 hours before the appointment and Mia can't fill the slot. If Mia keeps the $60 deposit, that's likely to be easier to justify because the client accepted the term upfront and the amount reflects part of the lost appointment time.

Now compare that with a 15-minute brow tidy costing $30. A $100 no-show fee for that appointment may be much harder to justify, especially if it looks excessive compared with the service price and your actual loss.

The safest approach is to choose a cancellation fee you can explain calmly and commercially. If a client complains, you want to be able to point to the wording they accepted and the business impact the fee was designed to cover.

What Should Your Booking Terms Say About Late Arrivals?

Your booking terms should say what happens if a client arrives late, including whether you can shorten, reschedule or cancel the appointment.

Late arrivals are especially tricky in beauty because your team often works back-to-back appointments. A client who arrives 20 minutes late for a 45-minute facial may affect every client after them. For some treatments, rushing can also create safety or quality risks.

Your late arrival clause should cover:

• your grace period, such as 5 or 10 minutes
• whether the treatment time will be shortened if the client is late
• whether the full price still applies if you provide a shorter treatment
• when you may need to cancel or reschedule for safety or timing reasons
• whether a deposit or cancellation fee applies if there isn't enough time to perform the treatment

Try to make the clause practical rather than harsh. For example, you might say that if a client is more than 10 minutes late, you'll do your best to provide the treatment within the remaining time, but you may need to shorten or reschedule it and the full fee may still apply.

For treatments with higher safety risks, such as skin needling, peels, laser or cosmetic tattooing, it may be better to reschedule if the client is too late. Your terms can explain that you won't rush treatments where doing so could affect safety, hygiene or results.

Training your front desk and therapists to apply the policy consistently matters too. If you waive the fee sometimes but not others, keep a short note of why. That helps if a client later says they were treated unfairly.

How Do Consumer Law Rules Affect Salon Booking Terms?

Consumer law affects your booking terms because you can't use them to take away a client's basic rights under New Zealand law.

The Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 applies to services you provide to consumers. For beauty services, the key guarantees usually include that you'll provide the service with reasonable care and skill, that it will be fit for any particular purpose the client tells you about, and that it will be completed within a reasonable time if no time is agreed.

This means your terms shouldn't say things like:

• No refunds under any circumstances
• We aren't responsible for any reaction or injury
• Results are guaranteed for every client
• All deposits are kept even if we cancel

Those statements can create problems under the Consumer Guarantees Act and the Fair Trading Act. They may also damage trust with clients who are already upset.

A better approach is to say that refunds, credits or rebooking options will be handled in line with New Zealand consumer law and your booking terms. You can still protect your business against last-minute cancellations and no-shows, but you shouldn't try to avoid responsibility if something has genuinely gone wrong with the service.

The Fair Trading Act also matters for advertising prices. If a fee is mandatory, such as an online booking fee, make it clear early. If you charge card surcharges, they should be disclosed and shouldn't be more than the cost of accepting that payment method.

Beauty booking terms are often standard form contracts, meaning the client accepts your business terms and conditions without negotiating. The unfair contract terms rules under the Fair Trading Act can apply to standard form consumer contracts, so avoid one-sided terms that let you keep all flexibility while the client has none.

How Should You Handle Prepaid Packages, Gift Cards And Suitability?

You should handle prepaid treatments and suitability checks separately in your booking terms because they raise different risks from a one-off appointment.

Prepaid packages are common for laser, facials, skin treatments and brows. They can be great for cash flow, but they also create client expectations about expiry dates, refunds, transfers and what happens if the client can no longer receive the treatment.

Your prepaid package terms should cover:

• what is included in the package
• how many sessions the client receives
• when the package expires
• whether unused sessions can be transferred to another person
• what happens if the client's skin, health or medication changes
• whether refunds or credits are available for unused sessions

If you sell gift cards or treatment packages, remember that New Zealand law generally requires gift cards to have a minimum expiry period of three years, unless an exception applies. If you set an expiry date, make sure it's clear to the buyer and recipient.

Treatment Suitability Disclaimers

Suitability disclaimers are useful, but they need to be drafted carefully. They should help you collect the right information and set realistic expectations, not shift all risk onto the client.

For example, your booking terms and intake forms can ask clients to tell you about:

• allergies and skin sensitivities
• pregnancy or breastfeeding, where relevant
• medications such as Roaccutane, blood thinners or topical actives
• recent cosmetic procedures
• medical conditions that may affect treatment suitability
• sun exposure, tanning or recent skin treatments

Your terms can also say that you may refuse, modify or reschedule a treatment if it isn't suitable or safe on the day. That's particularly helpful where the client books online before you have seen their skin or completed a consultation.

If you collect health or skin information, the Privacy Act 2020 also comes into play. Only collect what you reasonably need, keep it secure, tell clients why you collect it, and make sure your privacy notice reflects how you use booking forms, photos and treatment records.

Booking Terms Template: What To Include

A salon booking terms template should cover the full booking journey, from how the client books to what happens if the appointment can't go ahead.

Templates can be a helpful starting point, but they often miss the detail that matters for your treatments, terms of sale, booking platform and pricing model. Before you use any template with clients, have it tailored to your business.

Here is a practical outline you can use as a drafting checklist:

1. Business Details: State your salon name, NZBN if you use one, contact details and where the terms apply.
2. How Bookings Are Made: Explain whether clients book online, by phone, by message or in person, and when a booking is confirmed.
3. Deposits And Prepayments: Set out the amount, due date, payment method and when deposits are kept or refunded.
4. Cancellations And Rescheduling: State the notice period, fees and how clients must cancel or move an appointment.
5. No-Shows: Explain what counts as a no-show and what fee or deposit rule applies.
6. Late Arrivals: Set out your grace period, shortened treatment rules and when you may reschedule.
7. Prepaid Packages And Gift Cards: Cover inclusions, expiry dates, transfers, refunds and unused sessions.
8. Treatment Suitability: Require clients to provide accurate health, skin and medication information before treatment.
9. Results And Aftercare: Explain that results vary and clients need to follow aftercare instructions.
10. Consumer Guarantees: Confirm that nothing in the terms limits rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or other applicable law.
11. Privacy: Tell clients that you collect and handle personal information under your privacy notice.
12. Changes To Terms: Explain how you'll notify clients if your booking terms change.

Once you have the wording, put the terms where clients will see them before they book. Good places include your online booking flow, appointment confirmation emails, SMS reminders, website booking page and reception desk.

A tick-box in your booking system is usually stronger than a small sign at reception. If you ever need to rely on the terms, you want a clear record that the client accepted them before the fee applied.

Key Takeaways

• You can charge deposits, cancellation fees and no-show fees if they're clear, fair and accepted before the appointment.
• Your cancellation window should match the value and length of the treatment, as well as how hard it's to fill the appointment at short notice.
• Late arrival clauses help you protect your schedule, but they should be practical and applied consistently.
• Your terms can't remove client rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or mislead clients under the Fair Trading Act 1986.
• Prepaid packages, gift cards and treatment suitability checks need specific wording, especially for higher-risk or skin-related treatments.
• Keep records of bookings, accepted terms, cancellations, messages and payment attempts so you can explain any fee clearly.

If you'd like help with your salon booking terms, cancellation policy, treatment disclaimers and customer agreements, you can reach us at 0800 002 184 or team@sprintlaw.co.nz for a free, no-obligations chat.