For tattoo and piercing studios
Studio booking where the deposit is the point
A tattoo booking without a deposit is not really a booking. Artists lose whole days to people who never intended to sit, and a day cannot be resold at short notice.
Consultation first, then the sitting
Most studios do not want a stranger booking a full day sight unseen. Set the consultation up as a short bookable service and keep the sittings themselves off the public list, added from the dashboard once the artist has seen the design and agreed a price. The customer still books online, but the artist keeps control of what gets committed to the diary.
For studios that do sell sittings directly, deposit mode is the safeguard. Set a fixed amount per service and the slot is only held once it is paid.
Studio realities it handles
Per-artist diaries
Every artist runs their own hours and their own list. Self-managed mode gives them their own login and their own Stripe account.
Full-day sittings
Sessions are not thirty minute slots. Set real durations of several hours and the availability engine plans around them.
Deposit before the slot holds
Fixed deposits per service, paid by card at booking, going straight to the studio's own account.
Convention weeks closed
Block an artist out for a guest spot or a convention and their whole week disappears from public availability.
See how the studio diary works
Common questions
Can I take a deposit instead of full payment?
Yes. Each business chooses one of three modes: full payment online, a deposit online with the balance paid in person, or no online payment at all. Deposits can be a fixed amount or a percentage, and can be set per service.
Can each staff member have their own login?
Yes, and it is a per-business choice. In admin-managed mode one owner account controls everything and staff are resources with no logins. In self-managed mode each person signs in, sets their own hours, sees their own calendar and connects their own Stripe account. That second mode suits chair and room renters.
How do I handle holidays and sick days?
Set regular weekly hours once, then add one-off exceptions on top. Exceptions work in both directions: block a day for holiday, illness or training, or open an extra shift beyond the normal schedule. The available slots update immediately.
Does Bookky take commission on bookings?
No. Bookky charges no platform fee and no per-booking commission. Card payments go straight to your own Stripe account, and Stripe's standard processing fee is the only deduction.
Can I still take bookings over the phone?
Yes. Staff create phone, walk-in and admin bookings from the dashboard using the same availability engine, so a phone booking blocks the slot online instantly. Nothing gets double-booked.
Related
Booking Deposits and Online Payments
Take deposits or full payment at the point of booking through Stripe, with no platform fee and no commission. Or take nothing online and settle in person.
Booking System for Barbershops
Online booking for barbershops. Take deposits, cut Saturday no-shows, run chair renters on their own logins, and keep walk-ins in the same diary.
Staff Rotas and Availability
Weekly hours, recurring breaks, holidays and extra shifts, all feeding one availability engine. Plus a private calendar feed for every staff member.
Last reviewed .