# Hair Braiding Studio Waitlist App | NextUp Walk-in Source: https://nextupwalkin.com/industries/hair-braiding-studios > A hair braiding studio waitlist app: clients check in by style, you set the hours each braid takes, and walk-ins sit beside your booked day. # Waitlist and check-in app for hair braiding studios A braiding day where every chair knows how long it is booked for. Braiding takes hours, and it takes a different number of hours for every style and every stylist. NextUp Walk-in lets a client check in for knotless braids, twists or a loc retwist, adds up that stylist's own time, and shows her an honest wait on her phone. Your booked clients, your walk-ins and your deposits live on the same screen. [Start your free trial](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup) [See pricing](https://nextupwalkin.com/pricing) - Time set by style and by stylist - No app for your clients - Walk-ins beside your booked day Now Calling Hannah L. J**Jess**is ready for you Up Next - 1Sofia R. - 2Maya K. ~15 min Current Wait ~15 min Scan to join the line 4 PM73° 5 PM71° 6 PM68° Sound onNextUp LLC On the TV First nameMayaMobile (Optional)(555) 555-0123Who would you like?AnyoneJessJoin the line YOU'RE IN LINE#3MayaAbout 15 min. Watch the TV for your name. At the door 9:41 LWalk to Luis Chair 9, on the right About 15 seconds Not where you are? YouL YouYour routeChair 9 I'm on my wayI'm here 9:41 Your spot#2About **15 min**· around 3:40 PM1 person ahead of you This page updates live. Feel free to step out. In line as Maya K. Leave the line Studio Nine Salon Maya K. You're up!**Jess** is ready for you.Head to the front now. Running late?Let Studio Nine Salon know when you'll be there.On my way, 2 min5 min10 minSorry, I can't make it On their phone ## What a braiding Saturday looks like without it Where the time goes today, before anything changes. - ### Four hours in the chair, and a walk-in at the door A set of knotless braids to the waist can take most of a day, and a walk-in asks for the same stylist. Without a number from the stylist, you either say "come back later" or promise a time you cannot keep. - ### One stylist's six hours is another's four Two braiders at the same shop do the same style in very different times. A single average for "box braids" is wrong for both of them, and the client who got the shorter quote is the one who gets upset. - ### The consult that turns into a no-show A client books, never sends the photo you needed, and arrives with the wrong hair length, or not at all. A long style means a lost day for the chair, not a lost hour. - ### Clients arriving prepped and clients arriving not Washed, blow-dried and detangled hair saves the stylist an hour. Hair that arrives braided from last time, or unwashed, does not. The prep is explained in a text thread nobody reads again at the door. - ### Assistants, splits and deposits on a notepad An assistant parts the hair, the lead stylist braids, and a deposit was sent through an app days ago. At the end of the week, nobody is sure who is owed what. ## How NextUp Walk-in helps What changes once the line lives on a phone, not on paper. 1 ### A wait that follows the style Each style counts for its own hours and each stylist's own times. The number on the TV and the phone comes from the chair, not from a guess. 2 ### Consult details before the chair Clients add up to three reference photos once they are in line or booked, and sign a form when they join or book. The stylist reads both before the client sits down. 3 ### Walk-ins that fit around the booked day On Pro, bookings and deposits sit on the calendar. Walk-ins join the line beside them, and the wait counts the stylist who is still mid-style. ## Built for hair braiding studios The parts of NextUp Walk-in hair braiding studios use most. Open one for the pictures. - [LookbookEvery planPut photos on the services you list.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/lookbook) - [Calendar and online bookingProCustomers book a time from your Check-in Page.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/calendar-and-online-booking) - [No-show protectionProAsk for a card on file or a deposit when someone books.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/no-show-protection) - [Commissions and tip poolsProSet a commission rate for each person and share a location’s tips across the team.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/commissions-and-tip-pools) - [Memberships and packagesProSell memberships billed monthly or yearly, and prepaid packages redeemed one visit at a time.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/memberships-and-packages) - [LoyaltyProA digital stamp card in your colors, font and logo, with a reward you choose.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/loyalty) ## How NextUp Walk-in runs your braiding studio Every feature here is in NextUp Walk-in today, except text alerts, which switch on soon. The ones marked Pro come with NextUp Walk-in Pro; the rest are on every paid plan. [Compare plans](https://nextupwalkin.com/pricing). ### Check-in that knows how long a style takes Every plan - **Services with their own time.** Knotless braids, box braids, cornrows, twists, faux locs, a loc retwist: each is a service with its own minutes, and the wait adds up each client's own choices. - **Per-stylist times.** If one stylist does medium knotless in five hours and another needs seven, set it per person. The wait uses each stylist's own times and counts how long the current client has been in the chair. - **Options on a service.** A style can have tiers like small, medium and jumbo, or shoulder, mid-back and waist length, each with its own price and minutes. The client picks the option when she joins or books. - **Pick a stylist or "Anyone".** Today's stylists show with photos and their own wait, and if a client picks services, only the stylists who do those services are offered. - **Reference photos.** Once she is in line or booked, a client can add up to 3 reference photos, and the stylist sees them on the ticket. Hair salons have this on by default, and you can switch it off for a location. - **Check in at the door, from a link or on a tablet.** No app, no account. A client can join from your Instagram bio or Google profile before she leaves home. ### Consult, prep and the record - **A form before she joins.** Set up a consent or intake form, such as hair history, scalp sensitivity or whether she is bringing her own hair. It is signed on her phone and filed on her profile with the date and time. - **Visit history and staff notes** on every client, found by phone number, so the next stylist sees the last style, the length and the note about a tender scalp. - **A "Last time" view (Pro).** Up to 3 photos and a note per visit, added after the client taps to say a photo is okay, and shown on the staff screen when you call her. - **Our work gallery.** Up to 24 photos on your Check-in Page and up to 12 on each stylist's page, so a new client can see the exact style before she asks. - **Lookbook.** Photos of your styles in sections, so a client can pick one from the grid when she joins, and the stylist sees the pick on the ticket. Every plan. - **Import your client list** from your old system or contacts, up to 50,000 clients, with notes, birthdays and tags mapped from your columns. ### Booked days and deposits Pro - **Online booking** by service, stylist and time, with your cancellation policy shown before she confirms. - **Deposits or a card on file** for long styles, with a refund cutoff you set (24 hours by default). Staff charge the no-show fee you set. - **Reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before** by email. Put the prep rules for the day in the service description so she reads them at booking. - **Standing appointments** weekly, every two weeks or monthly for the client who takes her braids down and comes back on a rhythm. - **Group bookings:** one client books for herself and up to 4 guests, back-to-back or at the same time, for a mother and her girls. - **"Tell me if a time opens"** on a full day. When a booking cancels, everyone waiting for that stylist and day is emailed, and the first to book gets it. - **Walk-ins in the gaps:** when an appointment cancels and starts soon, the first walk-in it fits gets a notification offering the time. ### Assistants, rent and checkout - **Assistants:** a percentage of a stylist's tips or services can go to their assistant. - **Booth and suite rent (Pro)** collected on a schedule, plus hybrid renters who keep their services less a business percentage you set. - **Tips tracked for each stylist,** and commission, tip pools and payroll files on Pro. - **Checkout** with cash, a pay link or QR on her phone, a saved card or a Stripe card reader, with tip buttons you set and retail with stock for edge control and satin bonnets. - **Reviews.** After the visit she rates it from 1 to 5, and every client is offered your Google review link, whatever she rated. - **Insights.** Busiest hours by weekday and hour, walk-ins, people who left the line and quoted versus real waits, plus a Monday summary email, so you can see which days a long quote scares people off. ## A Saturday with NextUp Walk-in An example day, hour by hour, with the line on everyone's phone. - 7:30 Two booked clients are on the calendar with deposits paid. The first stylist starts medium knotless at 8. - 9:00 The line opens. A walk-in picks faux locs with Keisha, and the wait shows seven hours because Keisha has a full chair until 1. - 9:10 The walk-in switches to a style that takes two hours with another stylist, who is free at 11. She sees the new wait on her phone and goes to get breakfast. - 10:30 A client joins with three photos of the style she wants. The stylist sees them on the ticket before the client is called. - 11:00 The stylist's current client runs past her estimate. The wait on the TV and the phone moves with it. - 1:15 A client has signed the scalp-sensitivity form on her phone. The note from her last visit says to go gentle at the nape. - 3:30 An appointment cancels. The first walk-in whose style fits the open window gets a notification offering the time. - 6:00 Close-out: cash counted, tips recorded for each stylist's pay statement, and the assistant's share recorded. - Monday The summary email shows the busiest hours, average wait, walk-outs and top services. ## See NextUp Walk-in set up for hair braiding studios Six screens, one system, always in sync — styled the way your customers and team will actually see it. ## Why braiding studios move off the notebook - **From text threads and a notebook:** the line, the booked day and each stylist's time are in one place. Nobody scrolls back through messages to find who asked for jumbo. - **From an appointment-first app:** those are built around the book. This adds a real walk-in line, a QR code at the door and a live wait on her phone. On Pro you keep online booking, deposits and reminders beside it. - **From a phone line:** the call that asks how long knotless takes today is answered by the join page, which shows a live wait for each stylist. Your stylists keep both hands in the hair. - **Time that matches your stylists:** per-stylist and per-style minutes, so a shop with a fast braider and a slow braider is not quoting one number for both. - **Your clients stay yours:** your booking page shows only your studio. There is no marketplace listing another braider next to you. - **Switching offer:** your first month free on monthly billing with the code **SWITCH**, and you import your client list yourself in a few minutes. [See the switching guides](https://nextupwalkin.com/switching). [Start your free trial](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup) [See pricing](https://nextupwalkin.com/pricing) More for this kind of business Also built for **Comparing waitlist apps?** See how NextUp Walk-in compares with other booking apps: price per location, texts included, and who each app is actually built for. [See comparison](https://nextupwalkin.com/compare) ## Hair braiding studios: common questions What is a hair braiding studio waitlist app? It is a check-in and waitlist for studios that take walk-ins as well as booked braids. A client joins from a QR code or a link, picks a style and a stylist, and watches her place and wait on her phone. The wait is built from each style's minutes and each stylist's own times. Is there a waitlist app for braiding salons with very long services? Yes. Every service has its own length and can have tiers like small, medium and jumbo or hair length, each with its own price and minutes. You can set a different time for each stylist, and the wait counts how long the current client has already been in the chair. Can I take deposits for long braiding appointments? Yes, on the Pro plan. Online booking can ask for a deposit or a card on file, with a refund cutoff you set (24 hours by default), and staff charge the no-show fee you set. Walk-ins and the waitlist work on every plan. Can I run walk-ins and appointments in the same studio? Yes. Booked clients sit on the calendar on Pro, and walk-ins join the line beside them. The wait counts a stylist who is still mid-style, and a cancelled time is offered to the first walk-in it fits. Do my clients have to download an app? No. They scan your QR code or tap your link and join in their phone's browser, with a name and no account. Clients can also join from your Instagram bio or Google profile before they leave home. Can I show the wait on a TV in the studio? Yes. Any TV with an HDMI port and a small streaming device can show who is being called, who is next and the current wait, in your colors and logo. Turn on the rotating content to show the wait, flash sales (Pro) and recent reviews between calls. Can clients send photos of the style they want? Yes. Once she is in line or booked she can add up to 3 reference photos, and the stylist sees them on the ticket. Hair salons have this on by default, you can switch it off for a location, and your Lookbook lets her pick from your own styles. Can I set a different time for each stylist? Yes. Set a service time for each person, so a stylist who finishes medium knotless in five hours and one who needs seven both get an honest wait. Insights then shows each stylist's median time per service. Can clients wait outside the studio or at home? Yes. Her place and wait live on her phone, so she can stay home, run errands or wait in the car. A leave-now nudge tells her when to start heading in, and "Are you still coming?" lets her answer in 2, 5 or 10 minutes. Can I get a signed form about scalp sensitivity or hair history? Yes. Set up a consent or intake form and make it required, and it is signed on her phone before she joins or books. It is filed on her profile with the date and time, so the stylist can read it before the chair. How do I pay my assistants? A percentage of a stylist's tips or services can go to their assistant. Tips are tracked for each stylist, and on Pro you can add commissions, tip pools and payroll files for Gusto, ADP or QuickBooks Payroll. Can clients rebook before they leave? On Pro, the Done banner has a one-tap "Book their next visit" that shows up to 3 open times near the client's own rhythm, with the same stylist and services. Overdue regulars lists clients who are past their usual gap. How do I reduce no-shows on long appointments? Ask for a deposit or a card on file at booking (Pro), set a refund cutoff, and send reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before. For the walk-in line, a no-show timer marks someone who does not come to the chair and moves on. Can I show examples of my braiding work? Yes. Your Check-in Page holds an Our work gallery of up to 24 photos, and each stylist's page holds up to 12. Your Lookbook lets clients pick a style from the grid when they join. Can I see how many clients walk out because the wait is too long? Yes. Insights shows walk-ins, people who left the line, no-shows and quoted versus real waits by weekday and hour, and a summary email arrives every Monday. For a studio quoting hours, that shows which days the line scares people off. Can I sell edge control and satin bonnets at checkout? Yes. Products go on the same bill as the style, with stock that drops as you sell, and tips are tracked for each stylist. Cash, a pay link or QR on her phone, a saved card or a Stripe card reader all work, with tip buttons you set. RELATED READING - [Walk-in or appointment: which model fits you?](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/walk-in-vs-appointment) - [Add a walk-in line to your booking app](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/add-walk-in-line-to-booking-app) - [How to reduce no-shows in a walk-in business](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/how-to-reduce-no-shows-in-a-walk-in-business) - [A no-show policy template you can copy](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/no-show-policy-template) ## Make every braiding hour count. Set up your first location in about two minutes. Your line can be live before your next walk-in. [Start your free trial](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup) [Get set up with us](https://nextupwalkin.com/contact?topic=setup)