Online booking for nail salons
A client booking a gel manicure might mean an hour, or two and a half if there is removal and extensions. The booking form has to find that out before the day, not on it.
Separate event types for standard, with-removal and extension appointments, a ten-minute buffer, and a form that asks about removal explicitly.
Removal is the hidden half hour#
Soaking off existing gel takes twenty to thirty minutes and almost no client mentions it when booking. Multiply that across a day and you are running an hour late by the afternoon, having done nothing wrong.
The setup to start from#
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 |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 4 hours |
| Buffer | 10 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person, deposit online for long appointments |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: Do you need removal first? · Gel, acrylic or natural? · Any nail art?
Make removal a choice, not a surprise#
Either separate event types — "Gel manicure" and "Gel manicure with removal" — or one event type with a required question on the booking form. The first protects the diary better, because the length changes with the choice.
Price nail art honestly#
Intricate art is a different appointment. A longer, higher-priced event type with a note asking for reference images means you know what is coming.
Three weeks ahead#
Gel clients come back on a cycle. Open the calendar sixty days out so they can book the next two appointments before they leave, and every confirmation carries a link to book again.
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 table 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 stop appointments overrunning because of removal?
Either make "with removal" a separate, longer event type, or add a required question on the booking form. Separate event types are safer, because the extra time is built into the slot.
Can clients send reference photos when booking?
Not as an upload, but add a long-text question asking them to describe the design and note that photos can be sent by LINE or email. The answer arrives with the booking.
How far ahead should the calendar be open?
Around sixty days for gel clients, so they can book the next two appointments while they are still sitting with you.
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.