Guide for Salon Owners - Everything You Can Do

15-20 minutes

Introduction

As a salon owner in Luminate, you have complete access to every feature in the system. This is the highest permission level, designed to give business owners full control over their operations, finances, and team management.

This comprehensive guide serves as your command centre reference, summarising all the features available exclusively to owners as well as the day-to-day operations you'll be performing. Whether you're checking in on revenue, managing multiple locations, or handling your subscription, this guide will help you quickly locate the features you need.

Who this is for: Business owners with the Owner role in Luminate.

What you'll learn:

Owner-exclusive features and where to find them
How to manage multiple salons from one account
Billing and subscription management
Staff account administration
Complete report access and exports
Marketing campaigns (email and SMS)
Salon settings and configuration, including data exports and retention
Lumen AI support chat
Deposit payment links
Your day-to-day operational features

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

You should have an Owner account (the account you created when registering)
You should have at least one salon set up
Helpful to have completed the onboarding checklist (Tutorial 1.4)

What Makes Owners Different

Owners have a fundamentally different relationship with Luminate than staff users:

Aspect	Owner	Staff Users
Permission checks	Bypass all checks automatically	Must have specific permissions
Salon access	All salons they own	Only the salon they work at
Billing access	Full billing and subscription control	No billing access
Multi-salon	Can create and manage multiple salons	Works at one salon only
Stripe for deposits	Connect, open and disconnect the Stripe account	No access, not even for Admins
Account creation	Can register new accounts	Accounts created by owners
Lumen AI chat	Full access to all tools and data	Access limited by role permissions
Deposit payment links	Can send from any appointment	Needs appointment and messaging permissions

Owner-Exclusive Features

Four things belong to the Owner alone. No other role reaches them, not even an Admin:

Billing and subscription management
Creating and deleting salons
Connecting a Stripe account to collect online booking deposits
Transferring ownership, which goes through support

The other sections below are the senior-management features you and your Admins share. Each one names who else can use it, and the Quick Reference at the end of this guide splits the two lists cleanly.

Billing and Subscription Management

Location: Click your name (top-right) → Billing

As an owner, you have complete control over your subscription:

Your Plan - Your status, monthly cost, price per salon, number of salons, next billing date, and whether a payment method is on file
Add Payment Method - Enter card details to activate or continue your subscription
Manage Payment Method - Opens the payment provider's portal, where you change your card and download invoices. The button appears once a card is on file and your trial has ended
View History - Opens Billing History, a dated log of every billing event and subscription change
Cancel subscription - End your subscription. You keep full access to the end of the current billing period, then the account enters a 90-day read-only grace period before all data is permanently deleted
Restore Subscription - Reactivate a cancelled subscription at any point during either period

The Your Plan card on the Billing page, showing an Active subscription at £195.00 a month, the price per salon, the number of salons, the next billing date and a payment method on file

Important: If you need to transfer ownership of a salon to someone else, contact support at hello@luminate.salon.

Multi-Salon Management

Location: Click the salon name badge in the header

Owners can create and manage multiple salon locations from a single account:

Creating a new salon:

Click the current salon name in the header
Click Manage Salons
On the My Salons page, click Add Salon
Fill in the salon details
Click Create Salon
Check the cost summary, then click Confirm & Create Salon
The new salon appears in your salon switcher

You need an active subscription to add a salon. Because Luminate charges per salon, step 6 shows what the extra location costs: the prorated charge for the days left in the current billing period, and your new monthly total. On a free trial it tells you what you'll pay when the trial ends instead.

Switching between salons:

Click the salon name badge in the header
Under Switch Salon, select the salon you want to view
The entire interface updates to show that salon's data

You can also switch from the My Salons page — click Select on any row.

Deleting a salon:

Switch to the salon you want to remove
Open Salon Settings → General → Details
Scroll to Danger Zone and click Delete Salon
Type the salon's name into the confirmation field
Click Delete Salon to confirm

Deleting a salon is permanent. It removes every customer record, appointment, transaction, staff account, service, product, gift voucher and skin test belonging to that location. Your subscription drops back to the remaining salon count. Only you can do this — an Admin cannot delete a salon.

Key points about multi-salon:

Each salon has completely separate data (customers, appointments, transactions)
Staff members are assigned to one salon only
Reports and the dashboard always cover the salon you have selected, one location at a time
You pay per salon, all on one subscription

The My Salons table listing four salons with their business name, location, contact details and status, each row offering Select and Edit buttons

Staff Login Account Management

Location: Staff → [Select staff member] → Login Account card

Only Owners and Admins can create and manage staff login accounts:

Creating a login account:

Navigate to Staff in the sidebar
Click on the staff member's name
Find the Login Account card
Click Create Login Account
An invitation email is sent automatically to the address on their profile

Managing login accounts:

The card shows a Login Enabled badge once an account exists, or No Login Account if it doesn't. On an existing account you get two buttons:

Resend Invitation - If the original email was lost or expired
Remove Access - Immediately revoke login ability (the staff profile and its history remain)

The Login Account card on a staff member's page, showing a green Login Enabled badge with Resend Invitation and Remove Access buttons

Why this matters: Staff login accounts allow team members to access Luminate from home, view their schedule, and process transactions. You control who gets access.

Notification Settings and Templates

Location: Sidebar → Notifications

Owners and Admins see the Notifications link in the sidebar. The page has two tabs, Configuration and Templates. From here you can manage:

Appointment Reminders - Configure when appointment reminders are sent (24 hours before, 48 hours, etc.)
Other automated messages - Follow-up Messages, Birthday Notifications, Instant Notifications (booking confirmations, payment receipts, refunds, no-show and cancellation notices), Skin Test Reminders, Skin Test Expiry Reminders, and Outstanding Balance Reminders
Templates - Customise the email, SMS, and WhatsApp messages customers receive
Channel configuration - Choose email, SMS, or WhatsApp (or a combination) per message type
Pause All Messaging - One switch at the top of Configuration stops every automated customer notification, on every channel and message type. Use it while you configure settings or import data. Staff can still message customers by hand

Your SMS credit balance lives in Salon Settings → SMS, not here.

Marketing Campaigns

Location: Sidebar → Campaigns

Owners and Admins can create and send marketing campaigns to customers via email or SMS:

New Campaign - Draft email or SMS campaigns with custom content
Audience targeting - Filter and segment your customer list to target specific groups
Schedule sending - Send immediately or schedule campaigns for a future date and time
Delivery reports - Track campaign delivery status and performance
Manage drafts - Save campaigns as drafts and return to edit them later

As an Owner, you have full access to campaigns. Admins with notification management permissions can also create and send campaigns.

Setup Guide Access

Location: Click your name (top-right) → Setup Guide (if previously dismissed)

The onboarding setup guide tracks your progress in configuring the salon. Once dismissed, you can bring it back from this menu. Admins see the same item — anyone who can manage salon settings can reopen the guide.

Full Report Access and Exports

Location: Sidebar → Reports

Owners have access to all reports plus the ability to export data:

Available Reports

The Reports index as an owner sees it, with the full sidebar and the Financial Reports group showing Daily Revenue, Revenue by Payment Type, Accounts Receivable, Gift Vouchers, Account Credit, VAT Report and Colour Bar Performance

Reports are grouped into categories on the Reports index — Financial, Customer, Staff, Messaging, and Inventory. Appointment Reports sits below them under Coming Soon:

Report	Category	What it shows
Daily Revenue	Financial	Revenue breakdown by day with transaction counts
Revenue by Payment Type	Financial	Revenue and refunds split by payment method - card, cash, gift voucher, and other
Accounts Receivable	Financial	Outstanding customer balances
Gift Vouchers	Financial	Gift voucher sales, redemptions, and balances
Account Credit	Financial	Outstanding client credit balances and movements
VAT Report	Financial	VAT collected, net sales, and gross sales for tax reporting. The tile takes its name from the tax label you set in General > Details, so it reads GST if that's what you charge
Colour Bar Performance	Financial	Additional colour billed, cost, margin, and per-employee waste
Top Customers	Customer	Your highest-spending and most frequent customers
Staff Performance	Staff	Revenue, tips, and commission per team member
Hours Worked	Staff	Rostered hours and shift totals for each staff member
Staff Commission	Staff	Per-staff commission earnings: service vs product split, item breakdown, and tier progression
Payroll	Staff	Monthly payroll calculations with hours, commission, and tips
Leave Report	Staff	Staff leave allowances, usage, and pending requests
SMS Usage	Messaging	SMS credit balance, usage history, and top-ups
Colour Stock & Reorder	Inventory	Live colour stock, usage velocity, days to stockout, and a supplier reorder worklist

Exporting Data

Each report has an Export button. Only Owners and Admins see it — Managers can read the reports they have access to but cannot export them.

Navigate to the report you want to export
Set your date range and filters
Click Export and choose Export as CSV or Export as PDF
The file downloads automatically

Exports include all data matching your current filters—useful for accounting, tax records, or external analysis.

Salon Settings and Configuration

Location: Click salon name in the header → Salon Settings, or go to Salons page → Edit

Owners have full control over salon configuration. Settings are organised into six top-level tabs — General, Staff, Services, Online Booking, SMS and Data — four of which contain sub-tabs. Changes to the form fields save with Update Salon at the bottom of the page:

General Tab

Contains three sub-tabs:

Details:

Salon name and Business name - For receipts and communications
Contact details - Email, phone, address for customer contact
Logo - Upload your salon logo for branding
Timezone - Critical for accurate appointment times
Currency - Displayed on all prices and transactions
Date format - How dates appear throughout the system
Tax settings - VAT/GST rate and label

Themes:

Theme colour - Customise the interface colour scheme
Choose from preset colours or set a custom brand colour

Badges:

Appointment badges - Visual indicators on appointments (First Visit, Running Late, etc.)
Customer badges - Traits to highlight on customers (VIP, Prefers Silence, etc.)
Custom badges - Create your own badges with custom colours

Staff Tab

Contains seven sub-tabs:

Roster:

Maximum weeks for roster duplication and other roster-wide defaults

Levels:

Create experience tiers - Junior, Senior, Master, etc.
Tiered pricing - Charge different rates for the same service by staff level
Assign staff to levels - Match team members to their tier

Display Order:

Set the order staff appear in the calendar, online booking, and reports

Leave:

Default leave allowance - Annual holiday entitlement for new staff
Carryover policy - How unused leave is handled year-to-year
Leave year start - When your leave year begins

Payroll:

Payroll defaults - Salon-wide settings for pay periods and commission calculation used by the Payroll report

Public Holidays:

Enable/disable bank holidays - Choose which holidays to observe
Create custom holidays - Add salon-specific closure dates
Roster warnings - System warns when creating shifts on holidays

Time Blocks:

Create categories for non-appointment time blocks (meetings, training, admin, etc.)

Services Tab

Contains three sub-tabs:

Colour:

Configure colour-management settings used when offering tinting/colouring services

Skin Tests:

Validity period - How long patch tests remain valid
Enforcement - Warn or block bookings without valid tests
Reminder settings - Automatic expiry notifications
Consent statement - Custom consent text for forms

Gift Vouchers:

Default expiry - How long vouchers remain valid
Value limits - Minimum and maximum voucher amounts
Code settings - Prefix and length for voucher codes
Redemption rules - Allow partial redemptions

Online Booking Tab

Enable/disable online booking - Allow customers to self-book
Booking URL (slug) - Your unique booking page address
Lead times - How far in advance customers can book
Cancellation policies - Rules for customer self-service changes
Bookable services/staff - Choose which are available online
Deposit Payments - Connect a Stripe account to collect online booking deposits. This one card is yours alone: only the Owner can connect the account, open the Stripe dashboard, or disconnect it. Funds go straight to your account, less a small platform fee

SMS Tab

Current balance - View your SMS credit balance
Purchase credits - Buy credit packs
Auto top-up - Configure automatic purchases when balance is low
Usage history - Track SMS spending

SMS is switched off during a free trial, so you cannot buy credits until your subscription starts.

Data Tab

Contains two sub-tabs:

Exports:

Use Create Export to build a download, then pick two things:

Export Scope - Full Salon for all data across every entity type, or Individual Customer for one person's complete record (the format a GDPR subject access request needs)
Export Format - JSON, which can be re-imported into another salon, or CSV, which opens in a spreadsheet

The Create Export card with Full Salon and Individual Customer scope options, JSON and CSV format options, and a Start Export button

Click Start Export. Large exports run in the background, so the card shows progress while you carry on working. Finished exports appear under Export History, where you download them. Downloads stay available for 24 hours, so fetch the file the same day.

To export one customer, you can also start from their profile: open the customer, select the Details tab, and click Export Data under Data Privacy. That brings you here with the customer already selected.

Data Retention:

Enable automatic anonymisation - Automatically strip personal data from customers who have been inactive beyond your retention period, which helps you meet GDPR storage-limitation obligations
Retention period (months) - How long a customer can stay inactive before they qualify
Email me before customers are anonymised - Get a warning list before anything is removed
Warning lead time (days) - How far ahead that warning arrives

Lumen AI Support Chat

Location: Floating chat widget (bottom-right corner) or full-page mode

Lumen is Luminate's built-in AI assistant that can answer questions about your salon data and help you navigate the system. As an Owner, you have access to all of Lumen's tools and capabilities because your role bypasses all permission checks.

What Lumen can help with:

Look up customer details, notes, appointment history, and upcoming bookings
Check transaction records and revenue figures
Find staff schedules, leave requests, leave balances, and performance data
Answer questions about gift vouchers, products, and services
Review notification logs and messaging history
Check revenue and sales performance for any period (today, this week, this month) with comparison to the previous period
View commission breakdowns for any staff member, including tiered and item-based commission
Check SMS credit balance and usage statistics (how many sent, topped up, remaining)
Check skin test records and which customers have an alert against them
Report the current cash drawer status
Find gaps in the schedule, and list upcoming public holidays
Provide guidance on using Luminate's features

How to use Lumen:

Click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner to open the floating widget
Type your question in plain language (e.g., "How many appointments does Sarah have this week?") and click Send message
Lumen responds with relevant data from your salon, and links to the page where you can act on it
For a larger view, click Open full page
To start again from scratch, click New chat

On first opening, the widget offers a few suggested questions you can click instead of typing.

Note: Lumen's capabilities vary by role. As an Owner, you have unrestricted access to all tools. Staff members with lower roles may have limited access depending on their permissions (e.g., notification logs require notification management permissions, leave request tools require a Manager or higher role).

For full details on Lumen's capabilities, see Tutorial 15.4: Using Lumen AI Support Chat.

Day-to-Day Operations

As an owner, you can perform all the same tasks as your team—plus more. Here's your quick reference for daily operations:

Appointments

Location: Sidebar → Appointments

View and manage the appointment calendar
Book appointments for any staff member
Reschedule or cancel bookings
Mark appointments as arrived, in progress, or completed
Handle no-shows
Send deposit payment links - From the appointment detail page, click Send Payment Link to send a payment link to the customer via email or SMS so they can pay their deposit online. The button appears when a deposit is due and unpaid, the salon has a Stripe account connected in Online Booking settings, and the customer has an email address or a mobile number on their profile

Waitlist

Location: Sidebar → Waitlist

Add customers waiting for appointments
Set priority levels and preferred staff
Convert waitlist entries to bookings when slots open

Transactions (Point of Sale)

Location: Sidebar → Transactions, or the New Sale button in the header

Process transactions for services and products
Apply discounts and record tips
Split payments across multiple methods
Email or print receipts

New Sale in the header opens the Quick Sale till from anywhere in the app.

Cash Drawers

Location: Sidebar → Cash Drawers

Open and close cash drawer sessions
Record opening and closing balances
Track cash movements throughout the day
Reconcile variances

Customers

Location: Sidebar → Customers

Add and edit customer profiles
View customer history and analytics
Manage marketing consent
Deactivate or anonymise customer data (GDPR)

Skin Tests

Location: Sidebar → Skin Tests

Track patch test requirements
Record test results
Monitor expiring tests on the dashboard

Messages

Location: Sidebar → Messages

View two-way SMS/email conversations
Reply to customer messages
Close and archive conversations

Roster

Location: Sidebar → Roster

Create and edit staff shifts
Set break times and recurring patterns
Duplicate rosters between weeks
View public holiday indicators

Leave

Location: Sidebar → Leave

View all leave requests
Approve or reject requests from any staff member
Monitor team leave balances
See upcoming leave on the calendar

Staff

Location: Sidebar → Staff

Add new team members
Edit profiles, roles, and commission rates
Create login accounts (covered above)
Deactivate or anonymise staff records

Services

Location: Sidebar → Services

Create and edit your service menu
Set durations, prices, and commission rates
Configure tiered pricing by staff level
Assign colour coding for calendar visibility

Products and Colour Stock

Location: Sidebar → Products & Colour (or Products, if colour features are off)

Add retail products to your catalogue on the Products tab
Manage your colour lines and tubes on the Colour tab
Track stock levels and reorder points
Adjust inventory when stock arrives
Set retail and cost prices
Use Manage Categories and Manage Brands to organise the catalogue

Refund Processing

Location: Sidebar → Transactions → [Select transaction] → Refund

Owners, Admins, Managers and Receptionists can all process refunds. To refund a completed transaction:

Navigate to Transactions in the sidebar
Find the transaction and click View
Click Refund
In Refund Transaction, choose how to return the money — Card or Cash
Click Confirm Refund

This refunds the whole transaction and restores product stock. The dialog tells you exactly what happens to each payment method used: money paid by gift voucher goes back to the voucher balance, money paid from account credit goes back to the customer's account, and a booking deposit is retained so you can refund the deposit transaction separately if you need to.

Refunds update the transaction status to Refunded and are recorded in reports.

Notifications on Your Phone

Luminate can send a short banner to your own phone when something needs you, instead of you watching a screen for it.

Go to Settings > Notifications in the Luminate app, turn notifications on for your phone, then choose what you want to be told about.

Today there is one thing to choose: Customer arrives, which fires when a customer is marked as arrived for an appointment you are the assigned staff member on. More will be added over time, and each new one appears on this page ready to switch on.

These settings are yours alone. Turning them on changes nothing for anyone else, and nobody can switch them on for you.

Notifications are deliberately vague on a locked screen — a first name and an initial, never the service. Full detail appears when you tap through.

See 10.7 Push Notifications on Your Phone.

User Profile and Account

Your Profile

Location: Click your name (top-right) → Profile

Your personal settings sit on tabs down this page:

Profile - Update your name and email address
Password - Change your password
Two-Factor Auth - Turn two-factor authentication on or off
Preferences - Your own display preferences
Notifications - Choose which push notifications reach your phone (see below)
Connected Accounts - Manage a linked sign-in account, when your salon has one enabled

These are your settings alone. They change nothing for anyone else on the team.

Switching Context

As an owner, you'll see:

Your name in the top-right of the header with the Owner label beneath it
The current salon name next to it, clickable to switch salons
Billing in the menu behind your name

Common Workflows for Owners

Morning Opening

Check the dashboard for today's appointments and alerts
Open the cash drawer if handling cash
Review any pending leave requests
Check the waitlist for opportunities to fill gaps
Review the week's revenue on the dashboard's Analytics tab

End of Day

Close the cash drawer and reconcile the balance
Review today's transactions in Transactions
Mark any no-shows on the appointment calendar
Bill any completed appointments still unpaid, from New Sale
Check tomorrow's schedule for preparation

Weekly Review

Run staff performance reports to see team productivity
Check accounts receivable for outstanding balances
Review the roster for the coming week
Process any leave requests
Check gift voucher sales and redemptions

Monthly Tasks

Run payroll reports for commission calculations
Export reports for your accountant
Review top customers for VIP attention
Check SMS usage and top up if needed
Review subscription status and billing

Common Pitfalls

"I can't find the Billing page"

Billing is in the menu behind your name, not the sidebar. Click your name (top-right) and select Billing.

"My staff member can't access Reports"

Report access is not all-or-nothing. Owners and Admins get every report and the Export button. Managers read most reports but never see Payroll or the Leave Report, and cannot export. Receptionists reach only the Gift Vouchers and Account Credit reports. Service providers get no Reports link at all. If a staff member needs broader access, change their role — see Tutorial 1.3.

"I accidentally deactivated my only Admin"

As an owner, you can reactivate any staff member. Go to Staff, set the status filter to Inactive Only, open the person, and switch Active back on. Their history and login account are preserved throughout.

"I need to transfer ownership to my business partner"

Ownership transfer requires contacting support at hello@luminate.salon. We'll guide you through the process.

"The dashboard shows limited data"

The dashboard opens on Today's Appointments. Revenue, re-booking and commission figures live on the Analytics tab next to it, which defaults to This Week. Switch to Today or This Month with the buttons above the figures.

Tips and Best Practices

Regular billing checks - Review your billing status monthly to avoid unexpected subscription issues.
Delegate with roles - You don't need to do everything yourself. Assign Admin or Manager roles to trusted team members.
Weekly report review - Schedule time each week to review staff performance and revenue reports.
Audit login accounts - Quarterly, check who has login access and remove accounts for staff who've left.
Keep settings current - Update your salon details, holiday settings, and service prices as things change.
Export regularly - Monthly exports of key reports protect your data and keep your accountant happy.
Train your managers - Show Admins and Managers how to handle daily operations so you can focus on the business.

Quick Reference: What Only Owners Can Do

Feature	Location
Billing & subscription	Your name (top-right) → Billing
Create new salons	Salon badge → Manage Salons → Add Salon
Delete a salon	Salon Settings → General → Details → Danger Zone
Connect Stripe for deposits	Salon Settings → Online Booking → Deposit Payments

Note: The following features are available to both Owners and Admins:

Feature	Location
Notification settings	Sidebar → Notifications
Campaigns	Sidebar → Campaigns
SMS balance & top-up	Salon Settings → SMS
Payroll finalisation	Reports → Payroll → Finalise Period
Gift voucher settings	Salon Settings → Services → Gift Vouchers
Online booking config	Salon Settings → Online Booking
Export reports	Reports → [Report] → Export
Access payroll	Reports → Payroll
View leave allowances	Reports → Leave
Data exports	Salon Settings → Data → Exports
Data retention settings	Salon Settings → Data → Data Retention
Staff login accounts	Staff → [Staff member] → Login Account
Delete customer personal data	Customers → [Customer] → Details → Data Privacy

Note: These two are available to every role, not just senior staff:

Feature	Location	Who
Lumen AI chat	Floating widget (bottom-right) or Open full page	Everyone. What Lumen will answer depends on the role's own permissions
Send deposit payment links	Appointments → [Appointment] → Send Payment Link	Anyone who can manage appointments and send messages, so every role

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have multiple Owners for one salon?

Currently, each salon has one owner account. If you need multiple people with full access, make them Admins—they have nearly identical permissions except for billing.

What happens if I forget my password?

Use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page. A reset link will be sent to your registered email address.

Can I downgrade an Admin to a lower role?

Yes. Go to Staff → [Admin's name] → Edit → change their Role. The change takes effect immediately.

How do I give someone access to Billing without making them an Owner?

You can't. Billing access is exclusively for Owners. If you trust someone with billing, consider making them a co-owner (contact support).

Is my data safe if my subscription lapses?

Yes, for a while. You keep full access until the end of the billing period you have already paid for. After that the account becomes read-only for 90 days, and you can restore your subscription at any point during either stretch with all data intact. Once those 90 days pass, the data is permanently deleted. Contact hello@luminate.salon before that point if you need longer.

Can I use Luminate on my phone?

Yes. Luminate is fully responsive and works on mobile devices. The interface adapts to smaller screens while keeping all functionality available.

Last Updated: August 2026