Common questions
Everything you might ask.
If you don't see your question, email hello@goldenhourhq.com.
How fast can I be live?
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Most artists have a working booking link 5–10 minutes after sign-up: business name → first service → connect Stripe. SMS and email work in dev mode immediately and switch to live the moment your Stripe account is approved and Twilio brand registration completes.
Do I need to set up Twilio or Resend myself?
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No. SMS and email run on goldenhour's shared infrastructure: like Square does for restaurants. You don't manage API keys, sender numbers, or domains.
Who owns my client list?
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You do. Every account can export clients and appointment history to CSV anytime from the dashboard. We don't sit between you and your customers.
How are deposits handled?
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Deposits go through Stripe Connect Standard: meaning the money lands in your Stripe account directly, not ours. We don't take a cut of bookings; only the Stripe processing fee applies (2.9% + 30¢).
What happens when a customer cancels?
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If they cancel before your cancellation window (default 24h), the deposit is auto-refunded. Inside the window, the deposit is forfeited per your policy. The customer sees the policy text on their booking management page.
Can I take a card in person?
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Yes: pair a Stripe Terminal reader (BBPOS or Stripe Reader S700) and charge the appointment balance with one tap. The customer never types in a card.
Does it work for studio appointments?
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Yes. Every account picks a mode: mobile, studio, or hybrid. Mobile mode shows the address-and-travel-fee step at booking; studio mode skips it; hybrid lets the customer choose per appointment.
What about multiple artists?
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The Scaled tier handles multi-artist accounts with role-based permissions (owner, admin, provider, front-desk). Available now via custom onboarding: reach out at hello@goldenhourhq.com.
Can customers reschedule themselves?
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Yes: every confirmation has a manage link the customer can use to reschedule or cancel without contacting you. Rescheduling respects your business hours and existing bookings.
Do you handle aftercare reminders?
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Yes. 24 hours after a completed appointment, the customer gets a post-care SMS with rinse and moisturizing tips, plus a one-tap path to rebook.
Do you support recurring/standing clients?
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Yes. Pick weekly, biweekly, or monthly cadence on any appointment and goldenhour auto-books the next visit each time you mark one completed. There's a dedicated "Subscribed clients" view so you can see your whole recurring book at a glance. Need to pause a chain for a vacation week? Tap Skip-next on the appointment and the queue pushes one cycle without ending the series.
How will I know what's happening without checking the app?
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Every morning around 7am local you get a one-email daily brief with today's visits, the prep-tracker pulse, and your projected monthly revenue. Toggle it on/off from More → Notifications. Every Monday a weekly summary email lands with last week's revenue, completed visits, and no-show count. No app-check required.
Do my clients get a calendar event when they book?
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Yes. Every booking confirmation email includes an .ics calendar invite as an attachment, so the client taps once and the event lands in Apple Calendar or Google Calendar with the correct date, time, duration, and location. They can also tap "Add to calendar" from the manage page in any reminder text.
Is there an iOS app?
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Yes: a native iPhone app for the artist side (the booking page is web-based for clients, no app needed). The app surfaces today's schedule with a countdown to the next visit, a Live Activity on the lock screen, the inbox, client book, tasks, inventory, and the activity log. It pulls from the same backend as the web dashboard so nothing's siloed.