- Give at least four weeks' notice, with a clear date.
- Say what is changing and why in two or three sentences. No apologies, no long story.
- Keep appointments already booked and prepaid courses at the old price.
- Update your prices everywhere at once: website, booking page, Google and the front desk.
In this article
- Why does this feel so hard?
- How much notice should you give?
- What should your announcement say?
- Wording for an email or newsletter
- Wording for WhatsApp or a text to regulars
- Wording for social media and your website
- Wording for a sign at your front desk
- What about courses and gift vouchers?
- How do you respond when a client complains?
- How much should you raise prices?
- How Bookable handles it
- Frequently asked questions
Why does this feel so hard?
You know your clients by name. Some have been coming for years. You worry they will leave, or hold it against you. So you put it off until your costs have risen so far that you have to make one big jump. And that is exactly the kind of change clients notice.
Most clients understand that prices go up. What they dislike is a surprise at the till. A rise announced in good time and in a calm tone bothers almost nobody. A rise they only discover when paying feels like a trick.
So the point of your announcement is not to ask permission. The point is that nobody is caught off guard.
How much notice should you give?
For a salon or clinic without memberships, Belgian law sets no fixed notice period. You display your prices clearly, and the client pays the price that applied when they booked. Even so, a fixed habit works best.
| Situation | Notice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small rise, say €1 to €3 | Two to four weeks | Long enough to notice, short enough not to linger |
| Bigger rise or a new price structure | Four to six weeks | Regulars like to hear first and can still book |
| Memberships, packages or courses | Check your own terms | What has been sold stays at the old price |
| Healthcare with insurer set fees | Follow the rules you are bound by | Those agreements are not yours to change |
Pick a date that is easy to remember, such as the first of a month. Early January suits many businesses, because clients half expect changes then.
What should your announcement say?
A good announcement is short. The client reads it in thirty seconds and knows what is changing.
- 1The date. From 1 January 2027, not soon.
- 2What changes. The new price of your three or four most booked treatments.
- 3One line on why. Products, rent and energy cost more. You are investing in training or equipment. That is enough.
- 4What does not change. Appointments already booked and sessions already paid for stay at the old price.
- 5A kind sign off. Thank you for coming to us.
Leave out apologies, long explanations about your costs and lines such as we thought long and hard about this. They make it heavier than it is.
Wording for an email or newsletter
Hi [first name],
From 1 January 2027 we are updating our prices. Products, energy and training have all gone up, and we want to keep giving you the same care.
Here are the new prices for our most booked treatments:
[treatment]: [old price] becomes [new price]
[treatment]: [old price] becomes [new price]
[treatment]: [old price] becomes [new price]
Already booked an appointment after 1 January? You still pay the old price for that visit. Courses you have already bought stay exactly as they are.
You will find the full price list at [link].
Thank you for coming to us,
[your name]
The subject line says what it is about. That is more honest than a vague subject such as salon news, and it gets opened more often.
Wording for WhatsApp or a text to regulars
Your regulars deserve a personal message, ideally before the public announcement. Keep it short.
Wording for social media and your website
On your website, publish the new prices on the day they apply. If you want to show them earlier, put them next to the old ones with the date. That way nobody gets confused.
Wording for a sign at your front desk
To keep giving you the same quality, we are updating our prices. Just ask for our new price list. Appointments already booked stay at the old price.
A sign adds to your message, it does not replace it. A client who rarely visits only sees it when paying. That is why you send a message as well.
What about courses and gift vouchers?
Whatever a client has already paid for belongs to them. A course of ten sessions is still worth ten sessions, even if the price per session goes up. A voucher for an amount keeps that amount. A voucher for a treatment, such as one pedicure, gets that treatment, even if it now costs more.
Courses and vouchers sold after the rise follow the new prices. Say so in your announcement, so nobody stocks up at the last minute expecting them to be worth more later.
How do you respond when a client complains?
Most clients say nothing, or something like that is fair enough. The odd one reacts sharply. Stay calm and do not over explain.
| What the client says | What you can say |
|---|---|
| That is a lot. | I understand. It is the first change in [number] years and I have kept it as small as I could. |
| It is cheaper elsewhere. | It may well be. I choose [your difference, such as more time per client or better products]. I hope you keep noticing that. |
| I will come less often. | That is your choice and I respect it. You are always welcome. |
| Can you make an exception for me? | Your appointments already booked stay at the old price. After that, the same price applies to everyone. |
Do not hand out discounts to settle complaints. Every client learns that complaining pays, and you lose the rise to whoever shouts loudest.
How much should you raise prices?
Start from your own figures: what does an hour cost you today, and what does a treatment need to bring in? The pedicure price list article has a worked example you can use for any trade. A little every year is better than a lot every four years. Round prices, such as €35 instead of €34.50, are easier to remember and to pay.
Do not raise everything by the same amount. Treatments that use a lot of product or time can go up more than a short one.
How Bookable handles it
In Bookable you change the from price on each treatment. Your mini website and booking page then show the new price, so you do not have to update it in three places. Do remember your Google profile and the price list in your premises.
Everything else keeps running: clients book themselves, get a confirmation and a reminder by WhatsApp and email, and pay a Bancontact deposit if you ask for one. Start costs from €29 a month and Praktijk from €49 a month when paid yearly. Try it free for 14 days, no card needed. Full details are on the pricing page.
- No card needed
- No commission
- Cancel monthly or yearly
Frequently asked questions
How much notice should I give for a price increase?
For a salon or clinic without memberships there is no fixed legal notice period in Belgium. Two to four weeks for a small rise and four to six for a bigger one works well.
Should appointments already booked stay at the old price?
That is the fairest approach. The client booked at the price that applied then. The same goes for prepaid courses.
Do I have to explain why my prices are going up?
One sentence is enough, such as higher costs for products and energy. Long explanations or apologies make it feel heavier than it is.
How often can I raise my prices?
Once a year is a good rhythm for most businesses. A little every year beats a lot every few years.
What if a client reacts badly?
Stay calm, thank them for being honest and briefly explain what is not changing. Do not offer a discount to settle the complaint.
Founder of Bookable. Questions about this article or about your own business? Send a message whenever you like. A real person replies, within 24 hours.