How to run bookable essential oil workshops
Places, materials, what participants bring: how aromatherapists can set up group workshops that people book online, from a beginner class to a themed session.
6 min read
Create each workshop as its own service, open it as a slot with a set number of places, and write in the description exactly what participants will make, what's included and what they should bring. Each person books one place, and the slot disappears from your page once every place is taken. Set the number of places from your table and your materials, not from how many people you hope will come: a workshop where everyone has room to blend and smell is one people recommend.
One service per workshop theme
A beginner workshop, a session on making a roll-on for sleep and a cosmetics workshop don't attract the same people or need the same materials. Give each its own service with a clear name, a price and a description. On Book, each slot belongs to one service with its own start and end, so people choose the theme first and then see its dates.
| Workshop | Example slot | Example places | Example price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to essential oils | 2 h | 8 | €35 |
| Make your own roll-on blends | 1 h 30 | 6 | €40 |
| Natural cosmetics: balm and oil | 2 h 30 | 6 | €50 |
| Seasonal diffuser blends | 1 h 30 | 8 | €35 |
Places, lengths and prices are examples: set your own. Keep the materials cost inside the price shown, so there's no surprise on the day. Book doesn't take payments, so say in the description how and when participants pay you.
Choosing the number of places
When you create a slot, you set its capacity. Each booking takes one place, and a slot with every place taken is hidden from your public page. The public page doesn't show how many places are left: people see the workshop while there is room, and it disappears when it's full.
Count what limits you in practice:
- seats around your table, with elbow room for bottles and bowls;
- sets of equipment: scales, beakers, pipettes, empty bottles;
- how many people you can watch and help at once while they handle concentrated oils;
- ventilation of the room when several blends are open at the same time.
Friends booking together
The public form books one place per booking, so two friends make two bookings on the same slot, each with their own name and email. Say so in the description. If someone calls to book for a group, you can book them yourself from your calendar and set the number of persons, with their names in the note.
What to write in the workshop description
- What people will make and take home: for example two roll-ons and a recipe sheet.
- What's included: oils, bottles, labels, tea break.
- What to bring: nothing, or an apron and a notebook.
- Who it's for: beginners, or people who already know the basics.
- Who should ask you first: for example pregnant or breastfeeding women, or anyone with allergies, before booking.
- Address and access: the room, the floor, parking.
The booking form has an optional note. Invite people to mention anything you should know before the workshop, such as an allergy or a scent they dislike. You'll see it in your new-booking email.
Planning dates through the year
Workshops fit around your one-to-one consultations. Some aromatherapists keep one evening or one Saturday morning a month for them; others run themed sessions at the change of season. Create each workshop slot on its date. If you run the same workshop every week for a while, you can repeat the slot on that weekday until an end date.
If a workshop has too few bookings a few days before, decide whether to run it or move it, and tell each participant yourself: Book doesn't email clients when you cancel or reschedule. You can move each booking to the new date from your bookings list.
Company and private group workshops
Businesses, associations or friends sometimes ask for a private workshop. Create a service for it, such as "Private group workshop", and when a date is agreed, create the slot and book the group yourself with the number of persons. Once booked in full, it doesn't show on your page. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.