Tattoo studios & barbers · sample install
Deposit-required booking that filled the chair and killed the no-shows
A 3-artist tattoo studio was booking entirely through Instagram DMs and losing roughly 1 in 5 appointments to no-shows. We replaced the linktree with a booking-first website that takes a deposit at the door.
-55%
No-show rate
~$3.2k/mo
Recovered from deposit-locked bookings
4.9 → 5.0
Google rating after 60 days
< 3 weeks
Time to launch
Composite sample build. Ironworks Tattoo Co. (composite 3-chair studio) is a representative scenario drawn from patterns we've seen across many similar businesses. Specific names and numbers are illustrative, the workflows, stack, and outcomes reflect real engagements.
the story
What was going on
Ironworks is a 3-chair tattoo studio that ran almost entirely on Instagram. Each artist managed their own DMs, schedule, and reminders, and roughly a fifth of every week vanished to no-shows. We rebuilt the site in three weeks, set up per-artist booking with deposits, and wired SMS reminders, rebooking nudges, and Google review requests into one flow. The first 60 days after launch, no-shows dropped by more than half and the studio's Google rating hit 5.0.
before / after
What changed
before
- Bookings happened in Instagram DMs across three artists' personal accounts.
- No deposits, no consequence for ghosting, no-show rate sat around 22%.
- Past clients only rebooked when they happened to scroll past a story.
- Reviews trickled in only when an artist remembered to ask in person.
after
- Customers book a specific artist and time on the site and pay a deposit on the spot.
- Automated SMS reminders go out 48h, 24h, and 2h before each appointment.
- After the right interval (touch-up window, color refresh), past clients get a rebook nudge.
- Every completed session triggers a Google review request 24 hours later.
what we built
The system, in pieces
- Booking-first website built for mobile, artist portfolios, price ranges, deposit policy, FAQ.
- Per-artist online booking against real availability, with deposit collected at checkout.
- Consent form, ID upload, and care prep collected before the appointment, not in the lobby.
- Automated SMS reminders and one-tap reschedule for the day-of cancels.
- Touch-up / color-refresh rebooking nudges tied to each piece's interval.
- Owner dashboard: bookings per artist, deposits collected, no-show rate, review velocity.
stack
Tools we wired together
- Custom website
- Square Appointments + deposits
- Twilio SMS
- Google Reviews automation
- Looker Studio dashboard
timeline
3 weeks
Build to launch, including a 1-week onboarding and walkthrough.
investment
$10,800 build · $1,800/mo support
Fixed-quote sprint plus optional monthly support to keep things tuned.
more sample builds
Other builds we've shipped
Trades & home services
From voicemail backlog to booked jobs by sundown
After-hours jobs captured. 22% lift in repeat work.
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Auto & dealership service
Online quoting and deposit-locked bays for a mobile detail shop
Quote-to-booking time: 2 days → 12 minutes. Weekend no-shows zeroed.
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Personal services (Punchey-era engagement)
One booking + payments stack across 4 salon locations, in 6 weeks
4 locations on one stack. Owner reporting time: ~6 hrs/week → ~20 min.
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want this install?
Booking-to-Review Install · $3,500 · 10 business days
The full loop in one install. Booking, deposits, reminders, reviews, rebooking, and a dashboard.