Buffer times
Keep breathing room before and after appointments so back-to-backs don't crush you.
Buffers are padding around appointments that clients can't book into — your sanitizing, resetting, and breathe-for-a-second time.
Two levels of buffer
- Global buffer — in Settings → Booking Rules on the dashboard, set a default gap kept between appointments (15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes). It applies to everything.
- Per-service buffers — individual services can carry their own buffer before and/or after, set in the service's settings. Use these when one service needs more reset time than the rest.
What clients experience
Nothing, explicitly — they just see slot times that already respect the buffers. A 60-minute service with a 15-minute buffer effectively consumes 75 minutes of your day, and the next offered slot starts after that.
Buffer vs. padding the duration
You could bake cleanup into the service duration instead — the difference is what the client is told. Duration is client-visible ("your appointment is 75 minutes"); a buffer keeps the appointment honest at 60 while still protecting your gap. Buffers are usually the cleaner answer.
If slots look mysteriously missing
Buffers are a classic cause — a gap in your calendar that looks bookable to you may be too small once the service duration plus buffer has to fit. See Clients can't see openings.