Creating Your Venue

Sign up for OpenChair and create your venue in under five minutes — no credit card required.

Overview

Creating your venue lets you:

• Set up your business on OpenChair with a personalised booking page
• Start a 14-day free PRO trial with all features unlocked
• Receive a $5 wallet credit for AI Sparks, SMS, and email features
• Begin accepting bookings immediately after setup

Before You Begin

You will need:

• An email address or a Google account
• Your business name
• Your business address
• Your business phone number

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create Your Account

OpenChair offers two ways to create an account: Google or email and password.

Option A: Sign Up with Google (Recommended)

1. Go to the OpenChair sign-up page
2. Click Sign up with Google
3. Select your Google account and grant permission
4. You will be redirected back to OpenChair to continue setup

Google sign-up is faster because no email verification is needed — your identity is confirmed by Google.

Option B: Sign Up with Email

1. Go to the OpenChair sign-up page
2. Enter your Full Name
3. Enter your Email Address
4. Enter a Password (must be at least 8 characters)
5. Click Start Free Trial

After submitting, you will need to verify your email address before continuing.

Verifying Your Email

If you signed up with email, OpenChair sends a 6-digit verification code to your inbox:

1. Check your email for a message from OpenChair
2. Enter the 6-digit code on the verification screen
3. Once verified, you will be redirected to continue setup

If you verified your email on a different device (for example, clicking the link on your phone while signing up on your computer), the original screen will detect verification automatically and continue.

Step 2: Name Your Business

1. Enter your Business Name (for example, "Joe's Barbershop")
2. Your OpenChair URL is auto-generated from the business name (for example, openchairpro.com/joes-barbershop)
3. A green checkmark confirms the URL is available; a red cross means it is already taken
4. Customise the URL if needed — it can contain lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens
5. Click Next

The URL is your public booking page address. Customers will use this link to book appointments online.

Step 3: Add Your Location

1. In the Business Address field, start typing your address — suggestions appear as you type
2. Select your address from the dropdown for accurate location data
3. Enter your Business Phone number
4. Your Timezone is auto-detected from your address — adjust it from the dropdown if needed
5. Click Next

OpenChair currently supports venues in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Your country and currency are determined by your address.

Step 4: Choose Your Industry

Select the template that best matches your business. OpenChair uses this to pre-populate your first service and tailor the setup experience.

Template	Best For
Hair & Grooming	Salons, stylists
Barbering	Barbershops
Nails	Nail technicians
Massage	Massage therapists
Skincare	Aestheticians, facials
Injectables	Med spas, cosmetic clinics
Tattoo	Tattoo artists

Click the template card to select it, then click Next.

Step 5: Finalise

1. Choose whether you take appointments yourself:
   • I take appointments myself — checked by default. OpenChair adds you as a staff member who can be booked.
   • Uncheck if you are purely a manager or business owner who does not see clients.
2. Click Launch Venue

A success screen appears with the message "Welcome to OpenChair!", and you are redirected to your calendar.

What Happens After Launch

After clicking Launch Venue, OpenChair automatically:

• Activates your 14-day PRO trial — all features are unlocked, no credit card required
• Grants a $5 wallet credit — covers AI Sparks, SMS, and email usage during your trial
• Creates your booking page at the URL you chose (for example, openchairpro.com/joes-barbershop)
• Sets default operating hours — Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (customisable in the onboarding wizard)
• Adds you as staff if you ticked "I take appointments myself"
• Shows the Day One checklist on your dashboard to guide you through the remaining setup

You will land on your calendar page, ready to start the onboarding wizard where you set up your hours, services, branding, and payments.

Your Free Trial

Detail	Value
Duration	14 days from venue creation
Tier	PRO (all features unlocked)
Credit card required	No
Wallet credit	$5 for AI Sparks, SMS, and email

During the trial, you have full access to every OpenChair feature including Intelligence analytics, Engage communications, Coach AI advisor, commission tracking, and custom consultation forms.

When the trial ends, your venue moves to the FREE plan. You keep your bookings, clients, and data — advanced PRO features become locked until you subscribe.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
URL already taken	Try adding your suburb or initials (for example, joes-barbershop-syd)
"An account with this email already exists"	You already have an account. Go to the sign-in page and log in instead.
Email verification code not received	Check your spam or junk folder. Click Resend on the verification screen to request a new code.
Google sign-in popup blocked	Allow popups for OpenChair in your browser settings, then try again.
Cannot click Next	Check that all required fields are filled in and valid. Look for red error messages below each field.
"This URL is already taken. Try another name."	Choose a different slug — add your location, initials, or a number to make it unique.

Related Articles

• Onboarding Wizard
• Importing From Another Platform
• Day One Mode
• Understanding Your Dashboard
• Google Sign-In & Account Linking

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Last updated: March 2026