Pedicure menu and timing: how long to book each service

Book each pedicure for the time it really takes plus what happens around it: the soak, the drying if you use regular polish, and cleaning the footbath and station before the next client. As a starting point, an express pedicure fits in 30 minutes, a classic one in 45 to 60, a gel pedicure in 60 to 75 and a spa pedicure in 75 to 90. Keep the menu short, name each service clearly, and open slots at those lengths so the day runs on time.

Your own times depend on your technique, your products and your clients' feet. Time yourself for a couple of weeks and adjust. On Book, each service has its own name, optional description and optional price, and you open slots for each at the length it takes.

The simplest way to include cleaning time is to leave a gap between slots, for example 10 minutes, rather than making every service longer. A 45-minute slot from 10:00 to 10:45 followed by the next at 10:55 keeps the station ready and the client in front of you unhurried.

Too many options make clients hesitate or book the wrong one. Four or five services cover the usual requests: express, classic, gel, spa, and removal. Use the service description to say what's included, how long it takes and whether open-toed shoes are a good idea after regular polish. Clients see the price and length before they book, which avoids surprises at the end.

Long services need long gaps in your day. If you open only 30-minute slots in the morning and 90-minute ones in the afternoon, spa pedicures won't fit in the morning and the afternoon may stay half empty. Decide where the long services go, for example late mornings and Saturday afternoons, and open the short ones around them. A slot created once can be repeated on the weekdays you choose until an end date, so your weekly pattern is quick to set.

Slots from different services aren't linked. If you open a spa pedicure and a classic pedicure at the same time, a booking on one doesn't remove the other, so avoid overlapping them for the same chair, or book the other one yourself as soon as the first is taken.

Pedicure demand can rise before summer, sandal season and holidays. Open more slots in those weeks, and consider shorter services like express pedicures and gel on toes to serve more clients without cutting your cleaning time. Plan quieter weeks for spa pedicures, which can also be offered as gifts.

A first visit takes a little longer: you look at the feet, ask about habits and preferences, and explain what each service includes. Some pedicurists open a slightly longer first-visit version of the classic pedicure, or simply add 10 minutes to the first booking by giving that client the slot before a gap. Ask new clients to say it's their first visit in the note, so you know before they arrive.

A client who returns regularly, every four to six weeks for example, can book the next pedicure before leaving, or you can book it for them.

The booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note, where the client can mention sensitive feet, a skin concern or a colour choice. You receive an email for each new booking, with the note. If a client needs to move, reschedule from your bookings list and tell them yourself, since Book doesn't email them when a booking changes.

Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract.