The opt-in before the reminder: texting rules for a med spa

Why a reminder text needs a yes first

You turn on text reminders in your booking tool, and the first one goes out the evening before a client comes in. The client has to agree to texts before that message is sent, not after.

Twilio's messaging policy puts appointment reminders in a group it calls informational messages, and says those need the recipient's prior express consent. Texts that market or promote a product or service need a stronger kind, prior express written consent.

So a reminder and a promo for a holiday package are two different asks. Get the reminder yes now. If you ever send promotions, treat that as a separate yes with its own wording.

The rules below come from the texting vendors' own pages. They are not legal advice, and your texting tool may have its own policy, so read that one too.

The opt-in words to put next to the phone number

Twilio's policy says the person giving consent has to be told who is texting them, how their number will be used and what the messages will be about. On a website form, Twilio says the person has to choose texts themselves, so the consent checkbox cannot be checked in advance. It also has to sit apart from the checkbox for your general terms.

Twilio's example of acceptable wording names the business, says how often messages come, says message and data rates may apply, and gives the STOP and HELP replies. That example was written for promotional texts. Below is a version built from it and narrowed to appointment texts only. It is an example, not Twilio's text, so put your own business name in.

I agree to receive appointment reminders and confirmations by text from Your Spa Name. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for help.

Put the box right under the phone field, where the client types the number. Leave it unchecked. Keep it off the line where they accept your cancellation policy, because that line covers something else.

A client who leaves the box empty can still book. They get reminders by email or a phone call instead.

The record to keep

Twilio's policy says you have to keep proof of each consent for as long as the law requires, and at least until the person withdraws it. If someone later tells you they never agreed and you have no record, you have nothing to show them.

A useful record for each client holds:

• the phone number
• the date and time they said yes
• where it happened: the online booking page, the website form, the intake tablet or a paper form
• the exact wording they saw at that moment

When you change the wording, keep the old version with the dates it was live. That way each yes still matches the words the client read.

If a client agrees out loud at the front desk, write it down the same way, with the date and who took it. A spoken yes with no note leaves you nothing to point to later.

The stop word, and what happens after it

After someone opts out, Twilio's policy allows one last text confirming the opt-out, and nothing after that. No last reminder, no follow-up asking why they left.

In Square Appointments, a customer who texts STOP stops getting SMS notifications from your business. They can reply Start in the old message thread to get them again.

If a client tells the front desk they want texts back, ask them to reply Start from their own phone. Then the new yes comes from them, in writing, and you add the date to their record.

Reminder wording that names the time, not the service

Pabau, a clinic software company, says a reminder sent as plain SMS should carry only the logistics: a time, a date, a reply prompt or a link, and no treatment, result or balance. That is Pabau's advice, not a rule from Twilio or Square. For a med spa it is worth following anyway, because a text can light up a phone on a kitchen counter where someone else reads it.

A reminder in that shape:

Your Spa Name: you have an appointment Thursday at 3:00 PM. To change it, call the front desk. Reply STOP to opt out.

Leave out the treatment name, the product, the area being treated and any amount owed. If a client needs prep steps before a visit, give them at booking, in person or by email, not in the reminder.

Setting it up in Square Appointments

Menus move, so if your dashboard shows a different path, follow what is on your screen.

1. In Square, open Appointments, then Settings, then Communications.
2. In the drop-down, pick how long before the appointment the reminder goes out.
3. Open each automated notification in the list. Square says you can see every one and edit the wording in each.
4. Read what the reminder already says. Square says you can edit the wording in each message, so add your business name and Reply STOP to opt out if they are missing, and keep any text you add to the day and time.
5. Save, then book a test appointment for yourself with your own phone number.
6. When the reminder arrives, read it the way a stranger glancing at the screen would. Then reply STOP, and reply Start in the same thread to turn texts back on.

Next, check whether your booking page shows a text consent box with wording like the sample above. If it does not, add the box wherever clients give you their number, and keep the record yourself.

What to do

• Open your booking page and website form on your phone today. Make sure the text consent box starts unchecked and sits apart from the terms box.
• Rewrite the consent line so it names your business, says the texts are appointment reminders, says how often they come, says message and data rates may apply, and gives STOP and HELP.
• Start a consent log with the number, the date, the place and the exact wording, and keep each entry at least until the client withdraws, longer if the law asks for it.
• In Square, go to Appointments, Settings, Communications, and set when the reminder goes out.
• Open each notification in Square and read the reminder before a client gets it. Keep any text you add to the day and time, not the treatment.
• Test STOP and Start on your own phone before a client does.

For more on what a med spa site needs, see websites for med spas. If you would rather have the form and the consent log built for you, see automations; every form we ship is tested end to end before launch.