How to Set Up Service Variants for Hair Length Pricing
Charge different prices for short, medium, and long hair — with automatic introductory pricing for new clients
In this guide
Charging the same price for a short pixie cut and waist-length balayage doesn't make sense — the time, product, and effort are completely different. But creating separate services like "Haircut (Short)", "Haircut (Medium)", "Haircut (Long)" clutters your menu and makes reporting harder.
Service variants solve this cleanly. You create one service with named variations, each with its own price, duration, and optional timing overrides. Your menu stays tidy, your reports stay consolidated, and clients self-select the right option during booking.
This guide walks you through setting up service variants in Bella Booking, including the powerful client eligibility feature that lets you automatically offer different pricing for first-time vs returning clients.
Why charge differently by hair length?
Hair length directly affects three things: how long the service takes, how much product you use, and how much effort your stylist expends. A short bob blowdry takes 15 minutes. A long-hair blowdry takes 30-40 minutes. Charging the same for both means you're undercharging for long hair or overcharging for short — neither is ideal.
The most common services to differentiate by length are haircuts, blow-drys, colour (both full-head and highlights), keratin treatments, and extensions maintenance. Some salons also differentiate first-time colour appointments from touch-ups, since the initial service takes significantly longer.
Service variants work for any variation, not just hair length. Use them for different face areas (e.g., brows vs full-face threading), treatment intensities (express vs deluxe), or any other dimension where price and duration differ.
How service variants work
A service variant is a named version of a single service. Instead of cluttering your catalogue with separate entries, you define one parent service and add variants underneath it. Each variant has its own price, duration, and optional timing overrides (processing time, buffer before, buffer after).
When a service has variants, the listing automatically shows "From $X" based on the lowest variant price. Clients must select a variant when booking — the system makes this seamless in both online booking and the scheduler.
On the calendar, appointments show the variant name alongside the service — for example, "Haircut — Long Hair" — so your team has full context at a glance. Variant details also appear in notifications, receipts, and reports.
Setting up your first variants
Here's a step-by-step walkthrough using a "Women's Haircut" service as an example.
- 1Navigate to **Service Catalog** and open the service you want to add variants to
- 2Click the **Variants** tab
- 3Click **Add variant**
- 4Enter the variant details: Name = "Short Hair", Price = $55, Duration = 30 min
- 5Click **Save**
- 6Repeat for "Medium Hair" ($65, 45 min) and "Long Hair" ($80, 60 min)
Once you've added variants, the service listing will automatically show "From $55". The base price and duration fields on the Details tab are no longer used — everything is driven by the variants.
Drag variants to reorder them. The display order determines how they appear to clients. Most salons put the shortest/cheapest first.
Women's Haircut — three variants
Short Hair: $55, 30 min | Medium Hair: $65, 45 min | Long Hair: $80, 60 min. Listing shows "From $55".
Client eligibility — initial vs return pricing
Client eligibility is the most powerful aspect of service variants. It lets you automatically show or hide variants based on whether the client is a first-time visitor or a returning one. This is perfect for services where the initial appointment takes longer (consultation, extra care) and subsequent visits are quicker.
How it works
Each variant has a Client Eligibility setting with three options: "All clients" (everyone can book), "First-time clients only", and "Returning clients only". When a client browses your online booking page, the system automatically checks their history and shows only the variants they're eligible for.
Eligibility scope
You also choose the scope — what "first-time" means. "This location" means the client has never visited this salon location. "This service" means the client has never had this specific service, even if they've visited for other services. Choose the scope that matches your business intent.
Hair Colour with eligibility
"First Colour Appointment": $120, 90 min, 30 min processing — first-time only (this service). "Colour Touch-Up": $80, 60 min, 15 min processing — returning only (this service). A client who's had five haircuts but never a colour service would see the first-time variant.
Staff on the scheduler can see all variants regardless of eligibility — ineligible ones appear dimmed with a badge. They can proceed if needed, giving your team full flexibility whilst still surfacing the recommended option.
How variants appear in online booking
In online booking, the experience is seamless for clients. The service listing shows "From $X" using the lowest eligible variant price. When a client selects the service, they see a variant picker showing only the variants they're eligible for.
Clients who are not logged in are treated as first-time clients — they see "First-time only" and "All clients" variants. A banner encourages them to verify their phone number for personalised options. When they log in, eligibility is re-evaluated.
If only one variant is eligible for a client, it's auto-selected — the picker is skipped entirely. If no variants are eligible (e.g., all variants are "First-time only" and the client is returning), the entire service is hidden from the listing.
Variants with pricing tiers
If you use pricing tiers (Junior, Senior, Master), you can set tier-specific prices for each variant. This gives you granular control — for example, a "Long Hair" cut by a Senior stylist might be $95 whilst the same variant by a Junior is $70.
| Variant | Base price | Junior | Senior | Master |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Hair | $55 | $45 | $60 | $75 |
| Medium Hair | $65 | $55 | $70 | $85 |
| Long Hair | $80 | $65 | $90 | $110 |
If no tier override is set for a particular variant + tier combination, the variant's base price is used. This works the same way tier pricing works for non-variant services — just applied per variant.
Common configurations
Haircuts by length
| Variant | Price | Duration | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Hair | $55 | 30 min | All clients |
| Medium Hair | $65 | 45 min | All clients |
| Long Hair | $80 | 60 min | All clients |
Colour — initial vs return
| Variant | Price | Duration | Processing | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Colour Appt | $120 | 90 min | 30 min | First-time (this service) |
| Colour Touch-Up | $80 | 60 min | 15 min | Returning (this service) |
Consultation service (new clients only)
Create a single variant with "First-time only" eligibility at location scope. Returning clients never see it in online booking. Useful for welcome consultations, new client assessments, or introductory offers.
Facial treatments by intensity
| Variant | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Express Facial | $60 | 30 min |
| Signature Facial | $110 | 60 min |
| Deluxe Facial | $160 | 90 min |
Key takeaways
- ✓Service variants let you offer different prices and durations for variations of the same service without cluttering your catalogue
- ✓Client eligibility automatically shows the right variant to first-time vs returning clients
- ✓Variants work with pricing tiers, bundles, and add-ons
- ✓Online booking handles variant selection seamlessly with automatic "From $X" pricing
- ✓Appointments display the variant name on the calendar, in notifications, and on receipts
Related features
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Last updated: 2026-03-29