Buffer times
The gap between bookings
Buffer time is the reserved gap goldenhour adds AFTER every appointment: invisible to the customer, sacred to the artist. It’s the difference between a calm day + a spiraling one.
What buffer time does
When you set a 15-min buffer on a 60-min service:
- The customer sees “60 minutes” + gets charged for 60 min
- Goldenhour reserves 75 min on your calendar
- Next bookable slot is 75 min after this one starts (not 60)
This is the single most undervalued setting for artist longevity. Skip it and you’ll spend the day running 10 min behind by lunch, 30 by evening, and burn out within a year.
Per-vertical recommendations
What to set for your service mix
Spray tan
10-15 minQuick wipe-down of the booth + restock prep wipes + drink water. Tan service itself only takes 20-25 min, so buffer is high % of service time.
Lash extensions
10 minDiscard used adhesive ring + restock primer + brief client greet for next. Fills run tight; resist the urge to skip the buffer.
Hair (cut + style)
15-20 minSweep, sanitize chair + tools, refill spray bottle + check next client's chart. 20 min preferred: running behind cascades for the rest of the day.
Hair (color)
30 minBowl + tool sanitization is real work + processing time often varies. Build in real margin so a 90-min appt at 11am doesn't make the 2pm late.
Massage
15-20 minLinen change + room reset + therapist hand-wash + brief stretch + drink water. Therapists who skip this burn out within months.
Nail (manicure)
10 minSanitize implements per state board + clear desk + restock cotton + nail polish remover. Higher buffer if doing pedi-mani combos.
Brow / wax
5-10 minQuick wax-pot top-up + new spatula + discard used strips. Short services + short buffer.
Makeup
15 minBrush sanitization + palette cleanup + check next client's inspiration / vibe. Event-day clusters tighten further.
How to configure
Goldenhour supports both account-wide + per-service buffer configuration:
- Account-wide: Settings → Scheduling → Default buffer. Applied to every service that doesn’t override it.
- Per-service override: on each service, under “Advanced → Buffer after.” Useful when you offer both spray tans (10 min) and lash sets (15 min) from the same account.
- Travel buffer (mobile artists): configured separately in Settings → Travel zones. Adds estimated drive time on top of the regular buffer. See /help/travel-zones.
Common mistakes
- Setting buffer to 0 to look “more available.” The extra bookings are not worth the cascading lateness. Customers prefer on-time over more-slots.
- Padding the service duration instead. Customers see “90 minutes” and feel cheated when they leave at 60. Use the proper buffer field so the displayed duration matches reality.
- Treating buffer as “optional” in a packed day. Resist the temptation to let customers double-book the buffer slot. Goldenhour respects the buffer by default for a reason.
- Forgetting per-service buffer. If your color services need 30 min + your cuts need 15, use per-service buffer. Account-wide will pad cuts unnecessarily or starve color.