If you run a salon, spa, or barber shop in France, you’ve probably heard of (or already use) Planity.
It’s one of the most popular booking platforms in the country, helping beauty and wellness businesses get more appointments without endless phone calls or back-and-forth messages.
And for many founders, Planity feels like the solution: it’s quick to set up, easy for clients to use, and it brings visibility through its marketplace.
However Planity is a great starting point but definitely not always the finish line.
As your business grows, your needs change. You might want more control over your branding, connect bookings to your marketing campaigns, or get deeper insights into your clients’ habits. That’s where relying only on a platform like Planity can start to limit your growth.
In this article, we’ll look at:
Why Planity works so well for many salons and wellness businesses in France
The hidden limits that most founders discover too late
How to know when it’s time to upgrade to your own connected, automated booking system
What that kind of system actually looks like (in plain language)
How PrettySecure helps you make the shift smoothly without breaking what’s already working
Whether you’re a salon owner in Paris, a spa in Bruxelles, or a beauty entrepreneur in Geneva, this guide will help you see the bigger picture behind online bookings and how to turn them into a true growth engine for your business.
What is Planity and Why Salons Love It ?
If you’re in beauty, hair, nails, or wellness in France, as I said, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Planity, or you’re already on it.
It’s basically an online booking platform that puts your availability in front of clients 24/7. They can find you, book, or reschedule in a few clicks, without calling or DM-ing you.
Why it’s so popular:
People find you easily : Planity’s search is already where your clients are looking.
No more booking admin : You’re not glued to your phone confirming times.
Less ghosting : Automated reminders cut down on no-shows.
Easy payments : Deposits or prepayments can be handled before they even step in.
Reviews that sell for you : Happy clients can leave feedback right on your profile.
For a lot of salons, it’s a lifesaver. You can focus on clients in the chair instead of chasing appointments.
But.. Planity is amazing as a tool, not as your full booking strategy.
At the end of the day, it’s someone else’s platform. You don’t fully control your brand there. You don’t own the client relationship or decide how the booking journey feels.
And if you want clients to stick with you (and not just “a salon they found on Planity”), you need more than a profile. You need a system around it that’s yours one that connects your bookings, payments, communication, and client data into a flow that feels seamless and branded from start to finish.
The Hidden Limitations of Planity
Planity does its job well but that job is limited. It’s designed to be the middleman between you and your clients, not the full backbone of your business.
When you rely on it for everything, you’re building on rented ground.
Here’s what that means in practice:
Your client relationship isn’t fully yours
The booking happens on their platform, under their rules. If they change a feature, pricing, or visibility algorithm, you adapt or disappear from searches.
Your brand gets diluted
On Planity, every salon profile follows the same structure. Your personality, tone, and style take a back seat to their interface.
Limited data visibility
You see bookings and maybe some basic client info, but not the rich insights you’d get from owning your own booking flow like lifetime value, cross-service habits, or rebooking triggers.
No direct control over the journey
You can’t decide what the client sees after booking, how reminders look, or how upsells are presented.
Dependency risk
If Planity goes down, changes its terms, or starts charging more, your bookings feel it instantly.
For growing salons and independent practitioners, these aren’t small details they’re structural risks. The truth is, Planity should be one channel in your booking ecosystem, not the whole system itself.
When to Upgrade from Planity to Your Own Connected System
If Planity brings you clients, keep it.
But don’t let it be your only gatekeeper.
The goal is to design a booking ecosystem that you own, where Planity is just one entry point among others, all leading into a system that’s fully under your control.
You’ll know it’s time to upgrade when:
You want a 100% on-brand client journey that matches your identity from first click to final payment.
You manage multiple salons or brands and need everything to run under one roof.
You’re launching an online shop and want bookings and sales to connect seamlessly.
You want to automate follow-ups, special offers, and client care beyond Planity’s limits.
You need precise data to make growth decisions instead of just basic booking stats.
Here’s how it works in practice:
Your Website as the Main Hub
Even if Planity handles bookings, your site should present your offers, pricing, policies, and brand voice in a way Planity never can. Every link from Instagram, Google, or email should land here first so you control the story before sending someone to book.
Custom Booking Flows
Create an alternative booking option (Calendly, Acuity, embedded forms) that syncs with your calendar. This gives loyal clients a direct line to you without platform constraints, and lets you offer VIP or private slots that never appear on Planity.
Client Data Ownership
Use a CRM (even a simple Notion or Airtable setup) to store and track client details beyond the basic name + phone number. Capture preferences, visit history, average spend, and notes that help you personalise service.
Automation for Consistency
Planity’s reminders are fine, but your own automated emails or SMS can nurture relationships far better:
Send an email with aftercare tips right after an appointment.
Trigger a “we miss you” offer if a client hasn’t booked in 3 months.
Offer a loyalty reward after a certain number of visits.
Planity as One of Many Entry Points
Keep your profile optimised, but link it back to your site and socials. If Planity drives cold leads, your owned channels should turn them into loyal, repeat clients.
When your booking system works like this, losing Planity (or any single channel) is a tap you can turn up or down, because the real system belongs to you.
What a Smart, Scalable Booking System Looks Like
Most founders treat booking tools like isolated gadgets: they plug in Planity, hope it does its job, and then keep stacking other tools every time a new problem appears.
Please, don’t do patchwork.
We build connected systems where every click, booking, and payment flows naturally through your business without friction, without guesswork.
Here’s what that looks like in real life:
Mapping the Client Journey
We start by tracing exactly how someone finds you, decides to book, and becomes a loyal client. Not just the “Planity profile → appointment” path, but every touchpoint: Instagram DMs, WhatsApp messages, phone calls, walk-ins, word of mouth. This tells us what to automate, what to keep personal, and where Planity actually fits in.
Architecting the Stack
Instead of juggling a pile of disconnected apps, we design a lean, secure stack that works together:
Website or landing page → the central hub, where every link and ad sends people first.
Booking tools → Planity plus your own direct booking option for more control.
CRM → where you own and organise client data.
Automation layer → reminders, follow-ups, loyalty offers.
Analytics → so you see what’s really driving revenue.
Automation with Restraint
We don’t “automate everything.”
We automate the predictable, repetitive steps, booking confirmations, payment receipts, appointment reminders but we keep human touch where it matters: greeting a new client, sending a personal thank you, or reaching out after a major service.
Data & Compliance
Because you own the system, you control the data. We set up GDPR-compliant storage, clear consent flows, and secure integrations so you can scale without privacy headaches, whether you’re a single location or a growing chain.
A Future-Proof Base
Your booking system should grow with you. Whether you open a new location, expand your team, add e-commerce, or switch tools, the system adapts without collapsing. That’s the difference between being dependent on Planity and simply integrating it into something bigger.
At the end of this process, Planity isn’t “your business.”
It’s just one door into it, and you hold all the keys.
How PrettySecure Helps You Make the Shift
Switching from “Planity-only” to a fully connected, scalable booking systemis about building the missing links so your business runs on your terms.
Here’s how we make it happen:
1. Audit Your Current Client Journey
We map exactly how people find you, book, pay, and come back. This shows the gaps, bottlenecks, and missed opportunities in your flow.
2. Select and Connect the Right Tools
From booking platforms to marketing automation, CRM, and payment solutions : we choose what fits your needs and make sure they actually talk to each other.
3. Architect the Full System
We design a complete operational setup: reservations, marketing, CRM, and payments all working together in one clean, secure ecosystem.
4. Train Your Team
A system only works if the people behind it know how to use it. We train you and your staff so the tools become second nature.
5. Monitor and Optimise
Once live, we track what’s working and fine-tune the process, so your system keeps getting sharper, faster, and more effective over time.
The result?
A booking and growth engine you own, that supports your brand, keeps your clients coming back, and frees you from chasing admin.
