Masked-number chat
Neither side sees the real number
Mobile artists shouldn’t have to hand out their personal cell number to every booking. Goldenhour’s masked-number chat (Twilio Proxy-backed) lets you SMS your clients without exposing either side’s real number, and the link auto-expires when the appointment is done.
How it works
When you SMS a client (or they SMS you) through goldenhour, the message routes through a Twilio Proxy session: a temporary number that knows how to translate between the two sides.
- 01Customer books on your booking page. Twilio Proxy session opens.
- 02Customer sees: "+1 (305) XXX-XXXX" (Twilio proxy number). They text it. Twilio relays to your real number.
- 03You see the same proxy number on inbound. You reply. Twilio relays back to the customer.
- 04After the appointment + a configurable grace window, the session closes. Further messages bounce. To restart, the customer books again.
When to use it
Three artist profiles
Solo mobile / house-call artists
Most-aligned use case. You’re visiting strangers’ homes; minimizing the personal- information surface is genuine safety work.
Artists who’ve had a stalking / harassment incident
Even one prior incident is reason enough. Turning on masked-number chat prevents future perpetrators from acquiring your number through the booking flow.
High-public-profile artists
If your real number leaking would be a problem (Instagram-famous, press features), this is insurance worth paying for.
Operational notes
- Existing clients with your real number aren’t affected: they keep texting you directly. Masked- number chat only routes NEW outbound and inbound that originate from goldenhour’s system.
- Twilio Proxy has session limits (concurrent + per-month). For a solo artist with under ~30 active appointments, this is never hit. Higher volume = upgrade Twilio account in advance.
- Session expiry defaults to "24h after appointment ends" : configurable. Trade-off: longer expiry = more comfort for clients with follow-up questions, but also more potential for misuse.
- Toggle at Settings → Messaging → Masked numbers. Off by default; turning on affects new appointments only (not backfilled to existing).
FAQ
- What does masked-number chat do?
- Outbound SMS to clients routes through a Twilio Proxy session: neither side ever sees the other's real phone number. The customer sees a temporary number that texts back to you; you see the same temporary number that texts back to them. When the session expires (configurable), the link breaks + future contact requires a fresh session.
- Why use it?
- Mobile artists (especially house-call spray-tan, lash, hair) are often nervous about handing out their personal cell to strangers, particularly for inbound DMs. Masked-number chat solves the trust-safety wedge: customers can text you for legit appointment questions, but a post-appointment stalker can't keep texting after the session expires.
- Does it cost extra?
- Yes: Twilio Proxy is a paid Twilio feature. The cost is small (~$0.01-0.03/message + a per-session number rental). Goldenhour passes the cost through; we don't markup. For an active mobile artist, expect $5-15/month if you turn it on universally.
- Can I turn it on for some clients but not others?
- Today it's an account-level toggle (Settings → Messaging → Masked numbers). Future versions may add per-client overrides for trusted regulars, but the default is universal-on for accounts that turn the feature on.