GlossGenius - Salon Software Reviews

by Tavitrendy

I did the trial and an additional month . I first GlossGenius is annoying with. So many messages text and constant changes . The payments system is sketchy to clients . taking an image of their credit card freaks people out . Can’t scan chip cards higher rate fee . then have to scan their drivers license . The calendar doesn’t sync to your calendar so you have to manage it in GlossGenius and that’s made more complicated than it needs to be . After spending so much time adding clients and directing clients to use GlossGenius . I should be charging GlossGenius for all the time and work . The processing fee and an app fee really ! Square has free online store and online booking . In conclusion gloss is just that a shiny over done and not worth the money. Just another way to take money from hard working people for doing nothing you can’t already do with pencil and paper for free.

by Zachery001

I HAVE USED THEM FOR 3 YEARS.. they only care about money.. they do not care about the people who pay them for service. only add features that make them money and they refuse to add feature that cost them nothing that would greatly help those who use their system.. they are owned by sola salons which is a huge franchise that over charges stylist for a small box to work in.. I dont why i would think they would care about people on an app. i have asked them for two new features for 3 years an nothing.. i have had others ask for the same features and nothing. they dont care and they wont listen. all they will tell you is they will forward it to the right person which is the trash can. you pay for what you get 20 bucks a month gets you 20 dollar junk with horrbile customer service.. dont base your whoel business around online book with 20 a month system where htey dont care about yout..

by RaeMichele94

I love every single thing about GlossGenius. So far, there are three MAJOR changes that should be implemented to reach a whole new section of stylists.
1) SUB SELECTIONS/ SERVICE ADD ONS- The type of hair I do requires more than just choosing a service. Once the service is selected, I need to know which hair color the client needs, which type of parts they would like, etc... I switched from messaging to book to this app because it was too inconvenient to ask all those questions to each and every client. Please allow add ons to services!!

2) I WANT TO CUSTOMIZE MY TEXTS- not just emails! The services I provide have certain instructions and I need to be able to AUTO prompt clients instead of messaging them. Again, the point is to be hands off!

3) ALLOW CUSTOM CALENDAR AVAILABILITY- I have been booking month by month and would love to continue. I don’t want the calendar completely open & I also don’t want to only set it to booking a month ahead. I want to open (for example) my June bookings on May 27th. Once June is filled I want to close booking til June 27th for July openings. One month from current date Jane working for me
Everything else is wonderful. The interface, the earnings and expense reports, the checkout, the personalization. Just PLEASE add those two little things and it would be perfect!

by Snisjdejndn

Frustrated that you can’t still change how the client gets ahold of you. For instance, it only lets you put in your phone number versus multiple other forms of contact like your professional email, fb or Instagram message, etc. I personally have sent in this request multiple times because I want to have a healthy boundary and reserve even my work cell for special occasions. The card reader doesn’t also sync, and even if I save cards on file, I have to do it again if they want to purchase products separately. It should be saved the first time.

While they have great features, there’s still very important fixes still to be made. I’m only staying because I have so many cards on file, so I feel locked in.

by Meeeeecccchh

A year later from this update and there still haven’t been a major update!! When are you guys going to give us something new. I’m considering leaving the platform and going to genbook besides GlossGenius being pretty it’s not worth $40 a month 😒

I’ve been using GlossGenius for over a year now. You update GlossGenius without updating GlossGenius with any new functions. We send in our ideas but still no update. If I received a booking Im only aware by receiving email/text alert. I should be able to look at recent activity in GlossGenius . There’s no way of keeping track of cancellations, still unable to give a $ amount discount, no card reader, sometimes we have messages for clients we need a pop-up message box for when the client enter the site. We should also have an option to take deposits. I was with accuity I left because this app was more appealing and had a more professional setup but it’s lacking a lot of options needed for bookings.

by Nicashleyp

First off, I love GlossGenius. I’ve had a few before but this one just looks so nice and appealing. There are a few things I wish it had to make it perfect. First, a way to take deposits from clients. Second, the calendar should be color coded for the whole month. Like mark all the days I have off, the days I’m booked, and the days I have open availability. It also needs a section for add ons to each of the services. I would also like to be able to customize my own emails being sent out. The template is nice, but I want it to say other important information. And lastly, it would be great for clients to be able to use coupons or discount codes.

by Tyenisha G

I’ve been using gloss for about 3 years now , I am a esthetician and love everything about GlossGenius except the card feature that you have the option to require during booking . I have a huge clientele and sadly have to send individual invoices to protect myself . Most booking systems do not allow you to upload a invalid card , but their system does . When a client no shows . We ARE NOT protected . Ive reached out to them several times on this matter but no luck . So unfortunately I will be leaving gloss this week to a more ideal booking system .

I also dislike the language email about cancellations , it states if you need to cancel or change to contact (the business number) but that’s confusing because they don’t , I’m busy most the time and don’t need my clients texting me to cancel , when the link is in the email to cancel , the language should be more specific . The customer can cancel on their own until the cancellation window is up .

Hopefully they get it right soon because it’s a great app but many of my fellow estheticians are leaving for these reasons .

by Nglamj

I’ve been a member for a few months now and I love it. I love how it looks and it’s detail. It gives me all the info I need for my business to run smoothly with the reports and everything. My only wish is that we could take deposits or at least send invoices within GlossGenius and also the ability to set dollar amount discounts instead of a percentage. I would also love to be able to have forms and waivers within GlossGenius because although I’ve edited the message in the confirmation text/email to prompt them to complete their requires forms, they still don’t do it. It would so much easier if we could require them to complete the forms upon booking. Other than that, it’s great!

by Scsweetpea85

So far I am loving GlossGenius. I love the personalization. I appreciate the help I have gotten already through customer care. I love how everything is through ONE app (other systems I have used required multiple apps for appointments, checkout, website etc.) so I am very happy with GG.

A kink I’ve had - when trying to upload portfolio pics it kicks me out if i try to resize the picture. Other than that I haven’t had much of an issue with GlossGenius . I am anxious about my first checkout experience (i just received my card reader) and I am curious as to how smoothly that will go bc with the other app I was using it didn’t ask for any information, you just put in a total, click checkout and then slide the clients card. So tips on making a quick checkout would be HELPFUL! Thank you ❤️

by Rae383

This is a great booking app I’ve been using it for around 2 years now and there are pros and cons. I like GlossGenius for booking but when you try to process sales for products there needs to be an option to select more than 1 so you don’t have to edit the product and price every time you sale 3 or 4 and same with services I have families that come in and want to pay all together, so I have to add a haircut and then edit a haircut to say 3 haircuts and then edit the price to match that; instead of being able to just select 3. Also when it comes to discounts I wish you could just add a dollar amount rather than a percentage because then you have to sit and calculate to make sure you are entering the correct percentage for the dollar discount promised. And I don’t like that addresses don’t save and cards on file can only be used with an appointment and not for sales. I have a lot of clients that order products in between appointments and want me to use the card on file.

As for booking and the website esthetics and options I do love that and love the url links and how easy it is to share with clients.

by Missi.B

I truly have loved Gloss. I have tried every major booking software on the market. I always went back to Square because it was easy. Gloss is easier. And it has a way nicer interface. I love that I can see me appointment requests on the main page. I beta-tested the multi-user option for a while and LOVED that.

Here’s my issues: I cant do anything on a computer except book clients. I truly hate that. I nearly cancelled for that sole reason. I don’t like that I’m tied to my phone when booking. I already run my business from my phone and while this might sound convenient, it really just keeps me staring at my screen. I also would like people to be able to choose a service OR a provider and not just the provider at the first option. I don’t like that the booking increments go in 15-min increments. I’d like to be able to book 20 min increments as well.

by Roseville Hairstylist

This is a great app to use for your business as an independent hairstylist. Easy to manage for your clients and yourself. I only wish they would make a few changes.
1 at checkout it only scans cards with raised numbers, most new cards have flat account numbers.
2. At checkout there is no way to take more than one form of payment. Some customers like to pay with a little cash and put the rest on a card.
3 There is no way of adding a dollar amount discount. I have to adjust the actual price. Which when it comes to writing it off in your taxes, there is no record.
4 when I run the report for sales tax it gives you a line item of just the tax amount. No total $ sales amount, and no grand total. You have to add up all the amounts and total it yourself. To file and pay sales tax you need the amount sold, the tax amount and the totals on each.

by Doodleberri

I was a user of StyleSeat for about two years when I decided I was sick of the way they handle their business and of paying such a high user fee for something I didn’t feel worked the way it should. I’ve tried a couple other appointment apps and saw this one. I really love GlossGenius. My favorite thing about it, if I could pick just one, is the expense adding function. I’m a serious slacker when it comes to keeping track of my expenses and filing receipts. But with GlossGenius, there’s a function for that. You just press the button and add your expense and it keeps it for you. If you need to file a receipt, you take a picture and it’s stored. It makes it SO much easier to be on top of that part of my business.

The only thing I wish it had, that I got used to with StyleSeat, is the jumping ahead a certain number of weeks when scheduling/rescheduling a client. And being able to see exactly how many weeks in the future or past you are. Other than that, I LOOOVE GlossGenius!

by Alondra9999998

I love this app! After using square for years, I switched over to this app because it really does offer the lowest transaction rates and I am able to create my own website which is beautiful 😍 however, there are a couple things that need improvement. 1. I need to be able to collect deposits aka send invoices to clients. 2. When someone’s card on file is expired there’s literally no way to change it unless you contact customer service. I can’t change it and neither can my client. 3. Discounts by $$$ amount and not by %. To be able to give a client a discount I have to change my price on the service rather than just adding a $10 discount. It won’t give me that option. 4. I really dislike having to perform separate transactions when a client wants to pay part cash part card. Besides those couple of things, gloss is great. It’s affordable, it’s easy to use, looks amazing and I love the reminder text messages and the email marketing options.

by Cchiana

Four major things needed: 1) split forms of payment at checkout. I’ve had to make two separate appointments before for clients and check one out in cash and the other with card to do this. A big inconvenience. If split form of payment were allowed at checkout, it could be smoother and less time consuming. 2) there is no way of entering gift cards for purchase, only for payment, which I find very odd. 3) consent forms should be an option to upload to have clients fill out and stored in their client file, this is necessary instead of getting a 3rd party app to do this or wasting printing & paper. 4) deposits, we need an option to take deposits. This can ensure, some of us, security with our more time consuming and costly appointments.

I wouldn’t mind paying more monthly if these things were up to date. And I say up to date because a lot of other competing booking apps have these options. But I choose this app for its sleek design, seemless website to app connection, and it keeps things simple for the client. But if in a year from now these aren’t added on to improve our businesses, I’ll have to switch.

by 172SEP

I’m a waxer at my own studio and it’s made my life so much easier! It handles and keeps track of everything for me so I’m not constantly being contacted by clients, it makes them sweetly self sufficient. Every client loves how easy it is and clear it is.
If I could change anything it would be the option to have a different background color other than black. Some different options for icons/graphics in the booking menu as you thumbnail through different services.
A highlight in your calendar schedule for newbies so you don’t have to go through each profile and look at the history to see if you’ve had them as a client.

by Miss Moorehead

I just downloaded GlossGenius yesterday on 12/7. I can say so far I’m VERY impressed with the look and the ease of using it. After reading son of the reviews , I agree there NEEDS to be a better option if discounts. I prefer to use Dollar total discounts vs. percents. I would also like the discount be applied to specific items. I don’t want to give 20% off the whole total, only certain items especially if they are booking more than one service.
A split payment option would be nice as well. And being able to take deposits. I like the cc hold feature but I sometimes use deposits to purchase items needed for the appointment.

But so far so good. I’m still learning but my look of wayyyyy more professional now.

by _brandon89

I used another booking platform for years! Overtime I noticed that yeh former booking system began to start implementing changes without notifying us as the provider! Like charging my clients to book on top of already charging me a monthly fee. I understand operation costs but it is quite embarrassing to be told by your client that there has been a change and you as the actual provider had no idea!

this app is none of that! They are beyond supportive. The virtual assistant is amazing! They migrated all of my clients and notes seamlessly.

Unfortunately they could only take photo captures of my hundreds of reviews so I have to kind of start over with that but it’s okay as I do not accept many new clients anyway.

Also, the only other negative is that they do not have a dollar amount discount. You have to play with the percentages and it is not convenient. I think this is an easy fix they can implement.

Overall, this is my favorite booking system and I have tried almost all of them! Trust me, give them a try you will not regret it.

by AmandaKpp

I love how much you can do with GlossGenius, but a few changes I’d love to see incorporated is the ability to split payments, and the option to switch the default calendar view from month to week or day if we like. I prefer to see a weekly view of my schedule as default. And I know it’s a stretch but a little extra in the inventory department, such as the ability to track back bar products as well.

Other than a few things I think could be added to make GlossGenius everything I could dream of, this is hands down the best app I could have for managing my business.

by Sheueuehdosoejrbd

Usually I don’t write reviews but with GlossGenius I had to. I was fine with it until a client made a card payment. This was my first time accepting a card payment and I wish I didn’t. I was misinformed and told by a representative that my deposit will be in my account, it wasn’t so I reached out to them. Now they are saying I need to send them a copy of my drivers license and a copy of my business license. I didn’t feel comfortable sending that information so my only option was to refund the transaction and have my client pay another way. My client has still not received her refund and now all of a sudden I am having issues getting in contact with customer service. Like other previous reviews GlossGenius is useless. Once I get this figured out I will definitely be using a different booking app.

by M9g23

Check out made clients dislike it and not use it. After 8 months of paying for this and only using it 4 times I contacted them at 9am to cancel the account. This lead to a 4 page conversation that lasted that employees entire 8 hour shift-while I was at work running my 1 team salon.. so you know pausing to email to cancel over an 8 hour period was quite annoying. But honestly it was how rude all the tech support got when it was clear after a total of 3 days of communication saying cancel and then saying “sales pitch, sales pitch”. I actually had two of her team mates defend her actions.

When a client wants to cancel why should it take me more than once saying cancel my account? And sending other agents to email me to defend the actions of the first 8 hour/email conversation. Really would you want to have to spend 8 hours with your cable guy or cellphone company to cancel
Your account?

Honestly the company was rude as soon as I cancelled. Square online booking is free and also doesn’t bully you once you want to change.

Stay away from gloss it’s a waste of money

by Tonimontana5

I’ve had issues recently with clients being able to double book or sometimes they can’t book at all. Or booking during my breaks. I had a client who was able to book with a prepaid card that had no funds and when they turned out to be a creep, I kicked him out and didn’t get paid, because the card had no funds. Is there no way to screen cards to make sure it is indeed a credit card? And I would love the option to only let current clients book to prevent this.

I’ve tried contacting Gloss via text these past few days and heard nothing when they’re usually on top of it. I did receive their Halloween Ad.

Overall I do enjoy GlossGenius and won’t switch unless something similar is available. There’s no denying my clients love this booking site as do I. I just wish the bugs would be addressed so I don’t have to constantly watch my books for errors.

by Adubby28

Is there a way for you all to make it so, I can see an actual calendar on GlossGenius , and could block specific days off for events, or vacations. Not just open or closed in days of the week with no actual dates. The hours of operation only is too general for people with multiple obligations and families. Square app has that option, but you’d kill them if you had it. Also being able to apply discount codes, and They can see it on the invoice. Along with E gift card options. 😁would be super helpful

by Brevami

I mean, my title says it all ! I have been using this booking app close to a year now, and I am absolutely happy , my clients always compliment me on how easy it is for them to book with me through my website provided by this app, they have had several changes since I signed up, but all for the better, I honestly cannot wait and see what else they add to this amazing app, I am forever grateful to this app and their amazing team as I feel my concerned have always been listened to, and have provided me with nothing but and excellent experience! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Because without you guys I would’ve not been able to keep and grow my clientele! 💕🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

by Kaytre

I had used several other scheduling softwares before gloss genius and everything I wanted that the others didn’t have, like adding photos to clients files and email/text marketing included, gloss genius already had. I also love that it sends reminders out 3 days before. I loved that when I had a large wedding party and my bride was already off to photos so I couldn’t put in her ID to confirm the larger amount, I got a phone call just to make sure it was the right amount. The customer service is amazing and I recommend gloss genius to every Independant hairstylist I know. They transferred all my clients and appointments too!

by Daisy G-U

I used to use for Vagaro And I thought it was amazing until I started using this app when I switched to Sola salons. It is incomparable. There are so many things I am able to do with this app that I didn’t think were available or possible but really do streamline everything so much.

From the projected 30 day income information that shows what you have booked for the next 30 days, to the personal assistants who are timely polite and efficient, to the super duper easy check out, to the analytics, gloss up text campaigns, I could go on and on and on.

I am absolutely in love.

by Nicaghori

I’m giving GlossGenius 5 stars, even though sometimes it can drop down to 3 or 4. The reason for this is that their customer service is amazing, and every time I’ve had an issue they’ve been on top of it. Unfortunately apps can’t work perfectly 100% of the time, that’s just the way it is, but the developers of gloss genius do try to make that happen. Also, sometimes a problem can be do to user error, and they are always good at explaining what you’re doing wrong so that you can fix the issue. “Great app, great support” can basically sum it all up.

by Shinentri

I absolutely love Gloss Genius! It has made running my salon suite so efficient! The text reminders are wonderful and have helped minimize no-shows! I love the texts I receive to help remind me to put my client notes in! Plus the built-in motivational quotes are super fun! They are constantly listening to our feedback and adding features that help you as an independent service provider. I love the text campaigns! Really helps me fill slower days. Gloss Genius is a great tool! No need for any extra hardware and my clients love Gloss Genius too! I have received nothing but positive feedback from them. It’s a win-win app for me!

by Tiffsg5

I looooove my gloss genius app!! The “white glove” virtual assistant feature is amazing and made opening my own Salon Studio a breeze! They input all of my clients info, their appointments AND my inventory! It was so helpful! My clients and I both love the confirmation texts/emails and the option to easily write a review. I love the that gloss genius basically gets a website started for you. It was so easy to go in a customize it to my liking. Lastly the analytics and reports feature that they provide make keeping track of my business so easy!! I’d would recommend GlossGenius to any salon professional.

by BALANCE Massage & Bodywork

GlossGenius does everything for me! I don’t even have to remember to bring up re-booking at the end of my session as it pops up right after the payment is processed! It sends text reminders so no-shows are a thing of the past! When I found GlossGenius a year ago, it seemed to be geared toward hair dressers so I was a little apprehensive. It has been perfect and so helpful for me as an L.M.T. and I would highly recommend it. This is literally everything you need for a small business in the palm of your hand, don’t know what I’d do without it! Gloss is Boss!!

by Hawaiapril

It’s no longer necessary to use a booking site, then separate accounting software. This was designed for professionals in the health/beauty industry & it shows. It even handles your website!
Has easy to access analytics, fantastic backdrop designs to post your reviews, & the referral incentives are unbelievable!
They launched as I was making my move from premium salon, to independent business owner, so I’ve been with them from the beginning. They’ve been very much like my business partner, connected, & invested in my company’s success!

by Hairpony

I love that Gloss is so easy for this boss babe to use! I don’t use the check out system since I currently use square for checking out. But everything that it has to offer since I switched from Styleseat is amazing. The personalized website is beautiful, my clients have an easy time making their appointments as well as me making the appointments too! Overall it’s wonderful. Thanks Gloss for being amazing. Oh did I mention they give you uplifting little affirmations daily!! What more could you ask for

by Oliviammay

About a year ago I took the leap into owning my own salon suit business and gloss genius was GlossGenius I chose to go with. Not once have I had any issues. Alyssa from the department reaches out constantly checking in which I so appreciate. If I had any questions they were quick to respond and help me out. Gloss genius is consistently updating new features and tools to help us behind the chair and also to make it even more hands on friendly for our clients. I love this team and so glad I'm apart of the gloss squad!