How to Set Service Pricing and Durations (With Market Data)
Set prices, durations, and buffer times for your services, and compare your rates with local market data.
10 min read
Getting your pricing and durations right is essential for profitability and client satisfaction. SpaSphere lets you configure each service's price, duration, and buffer time individually, and provides local market pricing data so you can benchmark your rates against competitors. Visit your service menu to start configuring these settings.
Why This Matters for Your Spa
Most solo estheticians underprice their services by 15-25%, leaving $500-1,000 per month on the table without realizing it. At the same time, setting durations too short leads to rushed treatments and poor reviews, while setting them too long creates dead time that could be filled with revenue-generating appointments. SpaSphere's market pricing tool gives you real local data to benchmark against, so you can price with confidence rather than guesswork. Buffer time configuration is equally critical -- without proper buffers, providers feel rushed between clients, rooms are not properly sanitized, and the overall client experience suffers. Getting these three settings right -- price, duration, and buffer -- is the foundation of a profitable, sustainable spa operation.
Key Capabilities
- Set per-service pricing in USD with decimal precision
- Configure service durations in minutes for accurate scheduling
- Add buffer time between appointments for room turnover and cleanup
- Compare your prices against local market rates by service type
- View pricing tier breakdowns and trend data for your zip code
- Control which services are visible to clients on your booking page
Setting Service Prices
Open the service settings
Navigate to Services and click on a service to edit it, or create a new service. The price field is in the settings sidebar on desktop or in the Settings panel on mobile.
Enter the price
Type the service price in the Price field. Prices support decimal values (e.g., 85.00 or 149.50). Enter 0 for complimentary services like consultations. The currency is set to USD by default.
Save the service
Click Save Service to apply the new price. The updated price appears immediately in the services table, on your booking page, and in the checkout flow.
Price changes protect your existing bookings
Changing a service's price applies only to new bookings. Existing appointments retain the price that was set when they were created. This protects you from unintentionally changing charges on booked appointments and ensures clients are never surprised by a price difference at checkout. You can confidently adjust your pricing at any time without needing to audit or update your existing schedule.
Configuring Durations
The duration tells SpaSphere how long each appointment should be. This determines the time slot size on the calendar and controls how far apart bookings are spaced.
Set the duration
In the service settings, enter the service duration in the Duration (in minutes) field. Common values are 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, or 120 minutes. The duration must be at least 1 minute.
Set the buffer time
Enter the buffer time in the Buffer Time (in minutes) field. Buffer time is the gap added after each appointment for room cleanup, sanitization, or preparation for the next client. The default is 5 minutes.
Verify on the calendar
After saving, create a test appointment with this service. On the calendar, you will see the main appointment block followed by a separate mint-green hatched buffer block. The buffer prevents other bookings from being placed in that gap.
Buffer time protects service quality and client satisfaction
Buffer time appears as a visually distinct hatched block after each appointment on the calendar. When you hover over the buffer, a tooltip shows the buffer duration and the associated service name. Clients do not see buffer time on the booking page. Setting appropriate buffer times prevents your providers from feeling rushed, ensures rooms are properly prepared, and gives clients a calm, unhurried experience -- all of which directly impact your review scores and repeat booking rate.
Client Visibility Toggle
Each service has a Visible to clients toggle in the settings. When turned on, the service appears on your public booking page where clients can select it. When turned off, the service is only available for internal use -- your team can still book appointments with it, but clients will not see it online.
This is useful for:
- Services that are only offered to existing clients by request
- Internal-only services like "Staff Training" or "Room Maintenance"
- New services you want to set up before launching publicly
Hidden services give you full flexibility without cluttering your menu
Even when a service is not visible to clients, your team can select it when creating appointments in the admin dashboard. This gives you full flexibility to manage both public and private services. Many spas use hidden services for VIP add-ons, complimentary follow-ups, or staff time tracking -- keeping the public booking page clean and focused on the treatments clients actually need to browse.
Comparing Market Pricing
SpaSphere provides local market pricing data so you can see how your rates compare to other spas in your area.
Open the Market Pricing tool
On the Services page, click the View Market Prices button in the toolbar. A multi-step modal opens.
Select a service type
Choose the type of service you want to benchmark (e.g., Facials, Massage, Injectables). The available types are based on standard spa service categories.
Review pricing tiers
SpaSphere displays pricing data for your area, organized by tier. Each tier shows the price range and what level of service it typically represents. The data is based on your business zip code. If insufficient local data is available, neighboring areas are used.
Compare your rates
Click Compare to see how your current prices stack up against the market. The comparison view shows your prices alongside the local averages so you can identify opportunities to adjust.
Use market data as a strategic starting point, not a ceiling
Pricing data reflects averages for your area and is updated monthly. Use it as a guideline, not an exact benchmark. Factors like your location, brand positioning, specialized certifications, and service quality should also influence your pricing decisions. Many top-performing spas price 10-20% above the local average because they deliver a premium experience -- market data helps you understand where that average sits so you can position deliberately.
How Pricing and Duration Affect Bookings
Understanding how these settings interact helps you optimize your schedule and revenue:
- Duration determines the size of the appointment block on the calendar. A 60-minute service takes up four 15-minute slots.
- Buffer time adds extra space after the appointment. A 60-minute service with 10 minutes of buffer effectively occupies 70 minutes on the calendar.
- Price is displayed on your booking page and used at checkout. When a deposit is configured, clients may pay a portion upfront and the remainder at the appointment.
- Visibility controls whether clients can select the service online. Hidden services are still fully functional for team-created bookings.
The combination of duration plus buffer time is what SpaSphere uses to calculate true availability. When a client or team member tries to book an appointment, the system checks that the full duration plus buffer does not overlap with another booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Documentation
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