Setting cleanup buffer and processing time

Under Service Management > Edit Service, you can set "cleanup buffer" and "processing time" separately for each service. The names sound similar, but they control completely different things.

• Cleanup buffer: the setup/cleanup time needed after a service ends. During it, neither the assigned staff member nor the chair can take another booking. Defaults to 0 minutes (off). Set it per service, or apply one value to every service at once with the "default cleanup buffer" under Settings > Booking Page.
• Processing time: the wait inside a service (colour developing, for example). The client and the chair stay occupied, but the assigned staff member is genuinely free and can take another client during that window. Defaults to off. Turn it on per service and enter a "starts after" offset and a "gap length."

⚠️ Most common mistake: if processing time's "starts after" plus "gap length" adds up to more than the service's total duration, saving is blocked. For a 90-minute service, entering "starts after 60 minutes, gap length 50 minutes" adds up to 110 minutes — more than 90 — so it won't save. If saving fails, check that the two numbers together fit inside the total duration first.

Processing time is admin-only by default — it's never shown to customers, and it's meant for the owner or a manager to manually fill that window from the calendar. If you also want the online booking form (the screen customers book through directly) to be able to book that window, turn on the separate "Offer processing-time gaps online" option under Settings > Booking Page — this one also defaults to off.

Example: a 90-minute colour service (30 min apply → 40 min processing → 20 min finish) would have processing time set to "starts after 30 minutes, gap length 40 minutes." Once saved, that window shows up on the calendar with a diagonal hatch pattern, and a round "+" button appears letting you book a different client directly into it. Even if a new booking placed in that window has its own duration plus its own cleanup buffer that together run longer than the gap itself, it can still be booked — the new booking's cleanup happens after the gap ends, since cleanup doesn't need the stylist's hands.

If a cleanup buffer or processing-time setting is making certain slots show as unavailable, see No available time slots show up on the booking form. For other booking policies like lead time and cancellation windows, see Setting your booking policy.