For tattoo shops
Booking and floor ops for tattoo shops
Inkdesk is built for tattoo shops—not generic spa software with a tattoo label. Each shop is a tenant with its own artists, hours, deposit rules, and book URL. Clients book from a hosted page or website embed, pay deposits through Stripe Connect when required, and show up on a day board your staff can run from the cabinet or iPad station. Owners and artists sign in with Google. Inkdesk is $50 per shop per month.
What tattoo shops actually need
Street shops and private studios lose days to Instagram DM scheduling, screenshot “deposits,” and no-shows that never hit a real calendar. Custom sleeves need a quote before a percent deposit; flash needs a fast path to a paid hold. Several artists need separate books under one shop without a shared spreadsheet.
Staff sign in with Google — shop tenant scoped.
Inkdesk models that reality: simple vs complex booking tracks, deposit states (pending, paid, applied, forfeited, refunded), waitlist when a chair opens, reminders tied to appointments, consent PDFs on the client file, and payout tracking for commission, booth rent, or hybrid arrangements.
Walk-ins and phone bookings use the same appointment states as online traffic, so the floor and the website are not two different truths.
Online booking without leaving your brand
Every shop gets a hosted book surface at your salon slug. Share it from Instagram, SMS, or Google Business. Prefer your own site? Open Settings → Website & embed → Connect—WordPress Download plugin + connect code, Shopify/Wix Add to… or Create snippet, Squarespace/Webflow/Custom site snippet, or No website for hosted link + QR.
The widget respects origin allowlists and cabinet widget config. Agencies can build custom fronts against /api/v1 with OpenAPI at /api/v1/openapi and automate via webhooks (Zapier/Make).
Clients do not need a staff-style account. Staff use Google login into the cabinet.
Deposits that protect the chair
Configure flat or percent-of-quote deposits, with artist overrides when guest spots or high-demand chairs need different rules. Card amounts typically floor around $20+ so processor minimums do not fight tiny charges. Optionally pass processing fees to the client when that matches how you already talk about cards.
Payment runs on your Stripe Connect account. When the deposit pays, the booking confirms. Late cancel and no-show policies (often a 48-hour window, configurable) tie to forfeit/refund actions staff can see next to the appointment—not in a Venmo thread.
See /features/deposits and /features/no-shows for the full policy story.
Run the day: board, waitlist, check-in
Today and the day board show who is confirmed, who still owes a deposit, and who is in progress. Waitlist offers help fill gaps when someone cancels. Reminders go out from appointment state so you are not copy-pasting times from a phone.
Station / iPad check-in gives the floor a dedicated surface so artists are not hunting DMs while a client stands at the desk. Optional Google Calendar outbound push helps artists who live in Google between sessions; Inkdesk remains the system of record for availability rules.
Portfolio and consent live with the client record so reference images and signed forms are not lost in chat archives.
Pricing and who it is for
Inkdesk is $50 per shop per month—online booking, deposits, reminders, waitlist, embeds, and cabinet for that tenant. Stripe’s processing fees apply on card charges as usual. Trial and self-serve onboarding get a shop provisioned without a sales gauntlet.
Built for private studios, multi-artist street shops, and rooms with booth renters or guest artists under one shop tenant. Piercing is a second discipline in the same cabinet when the shop turns it on. Permanent makeup, microblading, and lash/brow remain reserved.
Compare horizontal tools fairly if you need to: /compare/vagaro-alternative, /compare/square-appointments-alternative, /compare/booksy-alternative, /compare/glossgenius-alternative.
FAQ
Is Inkdesk a marketplace?
No. Clients book your shop through your link or embed. You are not competing inside an Inkdesk consumer marketplace.
Can booth renters use it?
Yes. They book under the shop tenant; payout tracking covers commission, booth rent, or hybrid arrangements separately from Stripe Connect deposit collection.
Do we need a website?
No. The hosted book page is enough. Embeds are there when you already have WordPress, Webflow, or another site.
How much does it cost?
Inkdesk is $50 per shop per month at inkdesk.online.
What about piercing or PMU?
Piercing is a second discipline in the same cabinet (opt-in per shop). Permanent makeup, microblading, and lash/brow remain reserved.
Inkdesk is $50 per shop per month — one shop subscription, not a pile of add-ons. Start a free trial or open the live demo with sample data. No credit card required to look around.