Online booking for acupuncturists
Needles stay in for twenty to thirty minutes. The room is occupied far longer than you are, and a booking system that only knows about your time will oversell the table.
A 75-minute first session and a 60-minute follow-up as two event types, with a fifteen-minute buffer after each, and separate event types for insured 鍼灸 and self-funded treatment.
The room is the constraint, not the practitioner#
With one table, your capacity is governed by how long the table is occupied — retention time included — not by how long you are hands-on. Build the diary around your own time and you will book someone into a room that still has somebody resting in it.
The other confusion is commercial. Foreign clients do not know whether they are booking Japanese 鍼灸, which may be insured with a doctor’s referral, or Western acupuncture, which is not. If they find out at the counter, it is already awkward.
The setup to start from#
Needles stay in for twenty to thirty minutes, so the room is occupied considerably longer than the practitioner is, and the first session includes a long intake.
| Duration | 75 minutes first session, 60 after |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 12 hours |
| Buffer | 15 minutes after, to turn the room over |
| Max bookings per day | Six a day is realistic with one table |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online or in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: First session? · What are you hoping to treat? · Any needle sensitivity?
Japanese 鍼灸 is licensed and some treatment is insured with a doctor’s referral, while Western-style acupuncture usually is not. Foreign clients often want to know which they are getting — make it two event types rather than one explanation.
First session and follow-up are different products#
The first includes a long intake and runs seventy-five minutes; follow-ups run sixty. Two event types, so the calendar offers honest times and your afternoon does not collapse when two new clients book on the same day.
Buffer for the room, cap for the day#
Fifteen minutes after each session covers retention, dressing and turning the room over. Set Max bookings per day to what one table can genuinely handle — six is realistic — and the diary will stop before you do.
Say which practice this is#
Two event types, named plainly, with the insurance position in each description. It answers the question that is behind most enquiries and costs you nothing.
Getting started#
- Sign in at app.marubox.jp with Google or Microsoft. There is no card and no trial clock.
- Create an event type with the settings above. Event types explained
- Connect your calendar so your treatment room never gets double booked. Google · Outlook
- Set your real hours, and close Japanese public holidays in one tick. Availability
- Put the link in your bio, or the widget on your site. Adding it to your website
Common questions
How do I account for needle retention time in the booking?
Include it in the duration — the client is in the room for it — and add a buffer after for dressing and turning the room over. The booking length should describe the room, not your hands-on time.
Can I show different prices for insured and private treatment?
Yes, by making them two event types with their own prices and descriptions. It also lets you explain the insurance position where the client will actually read it.
Can clients book in English?
Yes. Fill in the event names and descriptions in English and Japanese and each client sees the language their browser asks for, including in reminders and confirmations.
Set this up in about ten minutes
Business Box is free for as long as you like, with no card required — booking pages, Google and Outlook calendar sync, availability, Japanese public holidays and the website widget. Taking card payment for bookings is ¥1,200 a month, tax included, with no commission on what you sell.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026.