# Pilotiko for esthetics studios

> For Quebec esthetics studios: treatment rooms, estheticians, treatment series and teen clients handled on one virtual office. What Pilotiko really does today.

Updated on October 15, 2026 · https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/esthetics-studios

Pilotiko helps an esthetics studio schedule its rooms and estheticians: each treatment has its own length, each room is a resource that can't be double-booked, and clients book online only into times that are genuinely free. AI agents draft your posts and follow-ups, and you approve anything that gets sent.

## In short
- In Quebec, a tanning salon operator may not offer artificial tanning to a minor [1].
- Personal information about a child under 14 can't be collected from the child without a parent's or tutor's consent, with limited exceptions [2].
- Rooms and devices are booked as resources: no double-booking.
- Pre-appointment reminders are being commissioned: nothing is sent yet.

## What makes an esthetics schedule different?

In an esthetics studio, the constraint isn't only the person, it's the room. A facial, a wax and a lash lift can all be done by the same esthetician, but not in the same room at the same time, and some devices exist in only one unit. You're scheduling two things at once: who does the treatment, and where.

Many treatments are also sold as a series, with sessions several weeks apart. A series that stops after two visits means a disappointed client and a package that lingers on your books.

## Which rules apply when your clients are teenagers?

May and June bring younger clients ahead of graduation proms. Two rules deserve attention. First, Quebec's artificial tanning act forbids a tanning salon operator from offering those services to a minor or letting a minor use the equipment, and any advertising for artificial tanning must state that prohibition clearly [1].

Second, Quebec's Bill 25 reforms mean personal information about a minor under 14 can no longer be collected from the minor without the consent of the person having parental authority or the tutor, unless collection is clearly in the minor's interest [2]. An online booking form has to account for that.

| Treatment | Resource to reserve | Watch-point |
|---|---|---|
| Facial | Room with table and steamer | Length and cleaning buffer set per service |
| Waxing | Treatment room | Short sessions: many bookings per day |
| Lash extensions or lift | Lit workstation | Long service: one no-show blocks a big slot |
| Manicure and pedicure | Station or pedicure chair | Often a single pedicure chair |
| Artificial tanning, if offered | Booth or bed | Prohibited for minors  |

## What does an empty room cost?

**Example: 3 estheticians, 2 treatment rooms and 1 lash station**

Assumptions for the example: 3 estheticians with 30 booked treatment hours a week each, 47 weeks a year; 5% of booked hours lost to no-shows; an average treatment hour valued at $90.

- Booked treatment hours per year (3 × 30 × 47) : 4,230 h
- Hours lost at 5% : about 212 h
- Value of lost hours (212 × $90) : $19,080
- **= In this example, about $19,000 of treatments a year never happen, mostly on long services where a single no-show empties half a morning.**

## How does Pilotiko organize rooms and estheticians?

The [virtual office](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/product/virtual-office) shows the studio as rooms: front desk, facials, waxing, nails. Each esthetician has a desk, and a delay that spills into the next treatment shows up in the right room.

Each treatment is a service with its own length and buffer. Clients book online, and Pilotiko only offers times when both the esthetician and the room are free. If the client has no preference, proposed assignment weighs declared skills (lashes, pedicure, waxing) and current load.

- An [AI agent](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/product/ai-agents) can list clients whose treatment series has stalled and draft a message inviting them back; it waits for your approval.
- Content agents prepare seasonal posts (prom season, the holidays, summer) for you to approve; Instagram posting is done by guided copy-and-paste.
- Reports show room occupancy, booked hours per esthetician and no-shows.

## What's coming later?

> The text reminder the night before a lash appointment is being commissioned: the code exists, but no SMS is sent yet. Promotional newsletters, paid advertising and an AI receptionist on the phone are planned for later; Pilotiko doesn't offer them today.

## How should you handle packages and gift cards?

For a card redeemable for specific goods or services, Quebec's consumer protection office says merchants may not indicate an expiry date, and the amount paid keeps its full value even if the treatment price rises [3]. Record the value paid at the time of sale, not just the treatment name.

[Hair salons](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/hair-salons) face the same situation every December. And if you work with [photographers](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/photographers) on wedding or grad shoots, a shared calendar keeps you from promising the same morning twice.

Like a [dental clinic](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/dental-clinics), an esthetics studio books a person and an equipped room at once, and [physiotherapy clinics](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/physiotherapy-clinics) also run session series that shouldn't stall.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Pilotiko stop two treatments from being booked in the same room?

Yes. When the room is set up as a resource, overlapping bookings in it are refused, on top of the check on the esthetician's calendar.

### Can a teenager book online?

Yes, but Quebec law requires a parent's or tutor's consent to collect personal information from a child under 14, with limited exceptions. Plan for the parent to make the booking in that case.

### Is Pilotiko suitable for a tanning salon?

It can run the schedule, but it doesn't check client ages. The ban on offering artificial tanning to minors is enforced by your staff at the front desk.

### Are automatic reminders live?

No. The 24-hour and 1-hour reminders are being commissioned: the code is ready, but the sending provider isn't connected. Nothing is sent to clients today.

### Does Pilotiko handle retail product sales?

Internal reports cover bookings, revenue and workload. For detailed retail inventory, keep using your point-of-sale system.

### Can an AI agent offer a client a discount?

Not on its own. It can draft a message, but anything involving a client or money waits for a person on your team to approve it.

## Sources

1. LégisQuébec, « Act to prevent skin cancer caused by artificial tanning (CQLR, c. C-5.2) », https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/document/lc/C-5.2?langCont=en (accessed on 2026-10-15)
2. Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec, « Principaux changements apportés par la Loi 25 », https://www.cai.gouv.qc.ca/protection-renseignements-personnels/sujets-et-domaines-dinteret/principaux-changements-loi-25 (accessed on 2026-10-15)
3. Office de la protection du consommateur, « Cards redeemable for specific goods or services: expiry date », https://www.opc.gouv.qc.ca/en/consumer/good-service/prepaid-card/good-service/expiration (accessed on 2026-10-15)