Salons, barbers and beauty
Offer different appointment lengths for cuts, colour, treatments and other services. Explore suggested settings for 17 types of business, including appointment lengths, time between bookings, payments and considerations for operating in Japan.
Hair salons#
A cut is an hour and a colour is three, so one booking length for everything either wastes half your day or runs you late by lunchtime.
| Duration | One event type per service: 60 for a cut, 150 for colour, 210 for a full head of highlights |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes after, to clear the station |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person, or a deposit online for long colour appointments |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before, if you take a deposit |
Suggested booking questions: Which service? · Hair type and length · Have you been to us before?
English-speaking stylists who understand non-Japanese hair are genuinely hard to find here, and clients search for exactly that. Say which hair types you cut in the description — it converts better than any price.
Barbers#
Short, high-volume appointments where the same client returns every three or four weeks and wants the same chair.
| Duration | 30 minutes for a cut, 45 with a beard trim |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours |
| Time between appointments | 5 minutes after |
| Max bookings per day | Whatever the chairs support |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Nail salons#
Removal, extension and art each add time, so a client booking "a gel manicure" can mean anything between an hour and two and a half.
| Duration | 60 minutes standard, 90 with removal, 120 with extensions |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person, deposit online for long appointments |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Do you need removal first? · Gel, acrylic or natural? · Any nail art?
Eyelash extension studios#
A full set takes two hours, an infill takes one, and booking the wrong service can delay later appointments.
| Duration | 120 minutes for a full set, 60 for an infill — always two event types |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after |
| Max bookings per day | Four full sets a day is the limit before the work shows it |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online for a full set, in person for infills |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before, 50% inside that |
Suggested booking questions: Full set or infill? · When was your last infill? · Any eye sensitivity or allergies?
Brow bars and threading#
Fifteen-minute appointments in volume, where the booking system earns its place by simply keeping the queue in order.
| Duration | 15 to 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 1 hour |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Waxing and hair removal#
Course-based: a client buys six sessions at six-week intervals and books them all at once.
| Duration | 30 to 60 minutes depending on the area |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after |
| How far ahead customers can book | 180 days, so a course can be booked in one go |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person against a prepaid course |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Esthetic and facial salons#
Treatments are sold as courses, and the first appointment includes a skin consultation that later ones do not.
| Duration | 90 minutes first visit, 60 after |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Skin concerns · Current products you use · Any allergies?
Makeup artists#
Half the work is at the client’s address before an event, so travel time and a very early start are the norm.
| Duration | 60 minutes, 90 on location |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| Time between appointments | 60 minutes after, for travel |
| Location | In person, address supplied by the client |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 72 hours before, 50% inside that |
Suggested booking questions: What is the occasion? · Where and what time? · Any reference photos?
Bridal hair and makeup#
A paid trial months ahead, then the wedding morning itself — two bookings separated by half a year, with a deposit holding the date.
| Duration | 120 minutes for the trial, 180 on the day |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 7 days |
| How far ahead customers can book | 365 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online — the deposit is what holds the date |
| Cancellation policy | No refund inside 30 days; the date cannot be resold |
Suggested booking questions: Wedding date and venue · How many people need hair and makeup? · Getting-ready time
Personal colour analysis#
A single ninety-minute session that a client buys once, so every booking is a new customer and the page has to sell on its own.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
パーソナルカラー診断 is a genuine boom here and slots sell out weeks ahead, so open the calendar further than you think you need — 90 days rather than 30.
Tattoo artists#
A free consultation, a deposit that comes off the final price, and a session measured in half-days rather than hours.
| Duration | 30 minutes consultation, 4 hours for a session |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 7 days |
| How far ahead customers can book | 180 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Consultation free, deposit paid online against the session |
| Cancellation policy | No refund inside 7 days — a lost day cannot be refilled |
Suggested booking questions: Design idea and size · Placement · Is this your first tattoo?
Many Japanese gyms, pools and onsen still refuse entry to tattooed guests, and foreign clients ask about aftercare in that context. It belongs in the confirmation message, which they keep.
Tattoo removal#
A course of short sessions spaced six to eight weeks apart, over a year or more.
| Duration | 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 365 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person against a prepaid course |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Permanent makeup and microblading#
A long first appointment and a mandatory touch-up four to six weeks later, which should be booked at the same time.
| Duration | 150 minutes first, 90 for the touch-up |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 72 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 120 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 7 days before, none inside 72 hours |
Suggested booking questions: Any previous permanent makeup? · Pregnant or breastfeeding? · Skin conditions or medication?
Scalp and hair-loss clinics#
A discreet first consultation people would rather book online than ask about by phone, then a long-running treatment course.
| Duration | 45 minutes consultation, 30 for treatment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Consultation free or low-cost, treatment in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Men’s grooming#
Short appointments clustered at lunchtime and after work, with very little demand in between.
| Duration | 30 to 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Kimono dressing and rental#
A morning dressing appointment and an evening return, booked by visitors who are only in the city for two days.
| Duration | 60 minutes to dress |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 180 days, because visitors plan early |
| Max bookings per day | Cap the morning at the number of dressers you have |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online — the customer is a visitor you will not see again |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: How many people? · Height, for sizing · What time will you return the kimono?
Cherry blossom season and the autumn colours sell out entirely. Open those dates months ahead and close the rest of the schedule with date overrides rather than turning people away.
Kimono photo studios#
Dressing, shooting and changing back is a three-hour block sold as one booking, almost entirely to overseas visitors.
| Duration | 180 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 72 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 365 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online in yen |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 7 days before, 50% inside that |
Suggested booking questions: How many people? · Indoor studio or outdoor location? · Preferred style
Start taking bookings online
The Free plan includes booking pages, Google Calendar and Outlook connections, working hours, Japanese holiday settings and booking on your website. No credit card is required, and there is no time limit. The Paid plan is ¥1,200 per month including tax and adds online card payments, team bookings and LINE integration. Business Box charges no booking commission; Stripe processing fees apply separately.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026.