Matthew Thomas
Founder of Parlor — the booking and payments platform for independent barbershops, salons, and tattoo studios. Writes about the business of running a studio: the no-show math, what software actually costs, and the operations behind a full book. Every number published here is sourced or computed in the open.
Deposits that don't scare anyone off: a working policy for studios
Percent or flat? How much? What about regulars? A practical deposit policy for barbershops, salons, and tattoo studios — with starting numbers and the one rule that prevents complaints.
Jun 11, 2026Your client list is yours — here's how to get it out of any booking platform
The step-by-step for exporting your client list from Vagaro, GlossGenius, or Square — what you can take with you, what you can't, and what to do with the file once you have it.
Jun 11, 2026GlossGenius pricing, tier by tier: the solo price and the team price (June 2026)
GlossGenius starts at $24/mo and is genuinely great for solo pros. The teardown is what happens when you hire — the features a team needs sit in the $48 and $148 tiers. Public list prices, June 2026.
Jun 11, 2026The real monthly cost of a 4-chair shop on Vagaro (June 2026)
The advertised price is ~$30 a month. A working four-chair shop ends up near $110. Here's the line-item math from public list prices, with sources and dates — and what each add-on is actually for.
Jun 11, 2026What no-shows actually cost a three-chair shop
The math behind our no-show calculator, every assumption stated in the open: how a one-in-five no-show rate quietly takes ~$23,000 a year off a small shop's book.