How to Set Up Service Calendars for a Hair Salon

Service Calendars in Sparkforge handle hair salon scheduling without two stylists fighting over the same color station. This walkthrough sets up haircuts, color services, and styling end to end.

What a Service Calendar does

A Service Calendar pairs a service (haircut, blowout, color) with a stylist, a station or chair, and the tools required. Clients book and the right resources lock at the same time.

Why salons use them

• Self-serve booking: Clients book without calling the front desk.
• Resource locks: Stations and tools (scissors, blow dryers, color bowls) reserve per booking.
• Stylist schedules: Each stylist's hours drive available slots.
• Service groups: Organize as Cuts & Color or Styling.
• Multi-service bookings: Add a blowout to a haircut in one flow.
• Branding: Logo and brand colors on the booking page.

Add staff and availability

1. From the subaccount, go to Settings → My Staff → Add User.
2. Enter the stylist's name, email, and extension. Set permissions if needed.
3. Define working hours (e.g., Mark: Mon/Wed/Fri 9am-5pm; Henry: Tue-Sat 11am-7pm) and click Save.

Create groups for your services

1. Open Calendars → Calendar Settings.
2. Under Preferences → Account Preference, toggle Service Menu on.
3. In the Calendars tab, click + New Group.
4. Enter group name, description, and URL slug. Pick Classic or Neo, then click Create.

Build the service calendar

1. Select the group and click Create Calendar, then choose Service Booking.
2. Fill in service name, assigned staff, custom URL, duration, and availability. Open Advanced Settings for full config.
3. Service Details: Upload a logo, set the name (Haircut, Blowout, Color), write a description like "30-minute haircut with wash and style," assign a group, and set a custom URL like /haircut-booking.
4. Appointment & staff: Set the invite title with placeholders like {{contact.name}}, assign qualified stylists, set the meeting location (salon, specific station, or video link), and pick a meeting color.
5. Rooms: Assign stations such as Styling Station 1 for cuts and blowouts or Color Station for color work. Booking the service reserves that station.
6. Equipment: Link shears, color kits, and blow dryers with quantities. Sparkforge reserves them per booking so the same color kit is never on two services.

Edit an existing calendar

Open Meetings → Service Calendars (v1), find the calendar, and click the pencil under Actions to update without rebuilding.

Publish a Service Menu

1. Open Meetings → Service Calendars (v1) → Service Menu and click + Create Service Menu.
2. Enter menu name, description, and URL slug. Pick a form and toggle consent if needed.
3. Under Additional Options, toggle Add Guests, Multiple Service Selection, and Staff Selection as needed.
4. Click Select Services and pick the groups or calendars to include.
5. Open Arrange your services and drag haircut and color to the top.

Share the menu URL on your site, social bios, and post-appointment rebook texts so clients book the next visit before they leave the chair.