Booking marketplaces and what it really costs an aesthetic clinic

Booking marketplace commission is easy to underestimate because it never arrives as an invoice. It is deducted from the booking, once, when a new patient finds you through the platform. That makes it a patient acquisition cost, and like any acquisition cost it only pays off if the patient comes back. For a small aesthetic clinic, the real question is not whether marketplaces are expensive, but whether you have a system that turns a first visit into a second and third one.

How booking marketplace commission works in the UK

Consumer booking marketplaces let people search and book treatments across many businesses. They charge the business for the new clients they introduce. According to their own pricing pages, Treatwell charges 35% commission on the first booking made by a new client it brings from its marketplace, and 0% on repeat bookings. Fresha charges a one-time 20% commission on brand-new clients who discover a business through its marketplace. Treatwell also states that its commissions and fees are subject to VAT.

Both models are transparent about this, and both can be a sensible way to fill a new calendar. The point is not that the fee is unfair. It is that the fee is front-loaded, and a clinic that does not measure it cannot tell whether it is paying for patients or paying for single visits.

Terms differ by platform and can change, so check the current pricing page for any service you use. Our guide to what a booking system really costs covers subscription, SMS and payment fees alongside commission.

What the first-visit fee means at aesthetic price points

Aesthetic treatments are typically priced well above a standard salon service, so a percentage-based fee becomes a meaningful amount per patient. The example below is illustrative, excludes VAT, and uses a treatment price of £250.

Illustrative calculation only. Your own figures depend on treatment mix, pricing and the platform’s current terms.

The fee itself does not change. What changes is how many visits it is spread across. A patient who returns for top-ups and follow-up treatments turns a large one-off cost into a modest one. A patient who never returns means the clinic gave away a third of one visit’s revenue for nothing that lasts.

The real cost of booking marketplace commission is a lost second visit

Margins in the sector are thin. The National Hair & Beauty Federation’s 2026 State of the Sector survey, based on 423 hair and beauty professionals, found that 20% of businesses are operating at a loss. When margins are that tight, the difference between a one-off visit and a returning patient matters more than the headline commission rate.

Retention in aesthetics is built in the clinic, not on the platform. A patient comes back when the result is good, when aftercare is followed up, and when rebooking is easy. Where the next booking happens also matters. If the patient returns to the marketplace to search again, your clinic appears alongside others offering the same treatment. If they rebook through your own link, the relationship stays with you. We covered the brand side of this in taking control of your brand and your customers.

There is a clinical side too. A marketplace booking confirms a time slot. It is not the patient’s clinical record. Consent, medical history, treatment notes and before-and-after photos have to live somewhere that is linked to the patient and to each appointment. That is one reason why salon booking tools are not enough for medical aesthetics.

How to earn back the commission: a practical checklist

1. Measure the last three months. Add up the commission you paid and list the patients it was paid on. Then check how many of them have booked again, and through which channel.
2. Treat commission as acquisition cost. Compare it with what you spend on ads or promotions per new patient. If a marketplace patient costs less to acquire and returns as often, it may be your best channel.
3. Rebook before the patient leaves. For treatments with a natural follow-up interval, offer the next appointment at checkout or in the aftercare message, with your own booking link.
4. Put your booking link everywhere you own. Website, Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, aftercare emails and appointment reminders should all point to your direct booking page.
5. Complete the patient record on the first visit. Consent, medical history and treatment notes captured at visit one make every later visit faster and safer, and give the patient a reason to stay with a clinic that already knows them.
6. Use deposits and reminders on direct bookings. Automated reminders and a deposit at the point of booking help protect the calendar slots you have worked to fill.

Frequently asked questions

Where MERIDIQ fits

MERIDIQ is aesthetic clinic software that keeps the booking, the patient record and the payment in one place. Patients book through your own online booking system, and each appointment links straight to the patient’s profile, consent forms and treatment history in their patient record. Automated reminders and deposits help protect the calendar, and there is no commission on bookings. The booking system starts at £4 per user per month, and patient records at £22 per user per month.

Many clinics keep using a marketplace for discovery and use MERIDIQ for everything that happens after the first visit. If you want to work through how that split would look for your clinic, book a demo with the MERIDIQ team.

Sources

1. Treatwell, “Treatwell Software Pricing”, partner pricing page (UK), accessed 19 October 2026.
2. Fresha, “Pricing”, marketplace new-client fee, accessed 19 October 2026.
3. National Hair & Beauty Federation, State of the Sector survey 2026 (423 respondents), as reported by Scratch Magazine, 17 March 2026.