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How Do I Set Up Makeup Lessons?
A makeup lesson service is a dedicated slot where students redeem the service credit they get when they cancel an ongoing lesson — kept separate from your paid lesson calendar so makeups don't compete with revenue-generating slots. Build it as a near-copy of your ongoing service, then change three things: the payment plan (credit only), the visibility (hidden), and the cancellation policy (usually forfeit).
Last updated: August 12, 2026
Applies to: Owner / Manager | Plan: All
Feature: Services, Scheduling
PLUS Feature: No
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Why Makeups are a separate service
- Step 1: Create the Service
- Step 2: General Settings
- Step 3: Payment Plan
- Step 4: Restricting Who and When
- Step 5: Cancellation Policy
- Step 6: Connect from the Ongoing Service
- Step 7: Notifications
- How Clients Book a Makeup
- Setup Checklist
- FAQ
- Related Articles
Overview
A makeup lesson service exists to answer one question cleanly: when a student misses an ongoing lesson, where does that credit get redeemed? Why it matters: without a dedicated makeup service, a cancelled lesson either has to be manually rebooked by staff into an open teaching slot — competing with a paying family for that time — or it turns into a refund. A separate, credit-only makeup service handles the redemption automatically and keeps it off your paid calendar.
ℹ️ Note: A makeup service is largely a copy of the ongoing service that feeds it. Configure it the same way — same duration, same slot interval, same naming convention, same tags — using the shared configuration reference, then change only what's below.
Why makeup is a separate service
Makeup lessons serve a different purpose than ongoing lessons:
- They're booked with credits, not standard tuition
- They shouldn't compete with paid ongoing slots for prime schedule time
- Most studios don't offer a makeup for a missed makeup — cancelling a makeup visit typically forfeits
Keeping makeups on their own service lets you control availability, pricing, and cancellation policy independently of your paid lesson schedule.
Step 1: Create the service
Go to Business > Services > Create Service > Appointment (e.g. Private Lessons).
Name it instrument-first and clearly as a makeup, with duration matching the ongoing service that feeds it:
- Piano Private Makeup Lesson - 30 min
- Guitar Private Makeup Lesson - 45 min
Why the duration has to match: a credit issued from a cancelled 30-minute lesson should book a 30-minute makeup, not 45 or 60. If your studio teaches 30, 45, and 60-minute lessons, you need three makeup services.
Tag it with the duration, instrument, and makeup — same as any other service — so it's included when you filter or batch-update.
Step 2: General settings What it does
The General tab controls whether families see this service on your public booking menu.
Why you'd use it
Why: most studios don't want makeup slots showing up next to paid lessons on the self-booking menu — it's confusing for prospects and can look like a discounted lesson type. Hiding it and routing families through the Use button on their credit keeps the booking experience clean while still letting anyone with a valid credit self-book.
How to configure it
| Setting | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Must match the feeding ongoing service | A credit from a 30-min cancellation should book a 30-min makeup |
| Can visitors see this service? | Usually off | Keeps makeups off the public self-booking menu |
| Can clients see this service? | Usually off | Families reach it via Use on a credit, not by browsing |
| Spotlight | Off | Makeups aren't what you want highlighted on the Today dashboard |
| Deactivated | Off | The service must stay active for credits to book into it |
| Schedule optimization | Usually off | Makeups are filling gaps, not creating them — gap-minimization works against you here |
| Enrollment windows | More flexible than ongoing | Families often need to book a makeup on shorter notice than a new enrollment |
Hiding the service doesn't prevent booking — a client with a valid credit can still self-book through the Use button on their profile.
ℹ️ Note: If you'd rather offer a dedicated makeup booking link instead of the Use flow, see Creating Self-Booking Links — Opus1.io recommends the Use-on-credit flow for a smoother client experience.
Step 3: Payment plan What it does
A makeup service takes exactly one plan, and it can only be paid for with a credit.
Why you'd use it
Why: this is what prevents a makeup slot from being purchased with real money. A makeup should only ever be redeemed with a credit a student already earned by cancelling a lesson — otherwise you've quietly created a discounted lesson product sitting on your booking page.
How to configure it
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Plan type | Single Visit, with Only payable using a credit turned on |
| Price | $0 or nominal — the credit covers the visit |
| Enabled for self-booking | On, even though the service is hidden |
⚠️ Warning: That last row catches people out. The Use button on a client's credit relies on the plan being enabled for self-booking — even though the service itself is hidden from browsing. Leave it off and families can't redeem their credits at all.
Step 4: Restricting who and when
Two settings control who can teach a makeup and which slots are offered.
Restrict credit usage with staff
Toggle this on so a makeup books with the same teacher as the original lesson — or the substitute who actually taught it.
Why: a makeup is a replacement for a specific lesson, with a specific teacher, in the middle of a specific curriculum. A student who's three weeks into a method book with Teacher A doesn't benefit from a makeup with Teacher C, and Teacher C doesn't benefit from teaching a lesson they can't prepare for.
See How do I ensure make-ups are only booked with the original staff member for more help.
Availability mode for self-booking (Advanced settings)
Set to staff availability from cancellations and a makeup can only be booked into a slot that was freed up by a cancellation — not into a teacher's regular open availability.
Why: this is the strict version of protecting your paid calendar. Without it, a makeup can be booked into a genuinely open Tuesday 4pm that a new paying family could have taken. With it, makeups only ever fill holes that already existed.
💡 Tip: This one is worth testing on a real teacher's schedule before you rely on it — depending on how your availabilities are built, it can leave families with very few options.
Step 5: Cancellation policy
What it does
Sets what happens if a client cancels the makeup lesson itself.
Why you'd use it
Why: most studios don't offer a makeup for a missed makeup. Without a forfeit policy here, a student can cancel and re-cancel makeup slots indefinitely, tying up credits and calendar space — and you end up doing the scheduling work for a lesson that's already been paid for once.
This is a real policy decision, not a default to accept blindly. Decide it deliberately, and make sure your cancellation policy text says whatever you decided.
How to configure it
| Cancellation type | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Client visit cancellation | Forfeit the visit |
| Client late visit cancellation | Forfeit the visit |
| Staff visit cancellation | Issue a service credit — a teacher's absence isn't the student's fault |
⚠️ Warning: If you do issue credits for cancelled makeups, leave the "should the service for the credit be a different service?" toggle off so the credit points back at this same makeup service. Pointing it at the ongoing service hands the family a free paid lesson.
| Other setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Disable use credits | Off — clients must be able to use credits |
| Disable self-cancellation | Studio choice |
| Credit only valid once paid | On (default) |
Step 6: Connect from the ongoing service What it does
The makeup service doesn't issue its own credits — they flow from the ongoing service that a client cancelled.
Why you'd use it
This is the link that makes the whole system work. Without it, a cancelled ongoing lesson issues a credit with nowhere specific to redeem it, and staff end up manually rebooking every cancellation.
How to configure it
On your ongoing lesson service → Cancellation tab:
- Set client cancellations to issue a service credit
- Toggle Should the service for the credit issued be a different service? on
- Select this makeup service from the dropdown
Repeat for late and staff cancellation types as needed.
⚠️ Warning: A common mistake is selecting the ongoing service instead of the makeup service in that dropdown. Always verify the mapping shows the makeup service's name before saving.
See Mapping Makeup Credits to Makeup Services for the full walkthrough, including credit caps and validity periods.
Step 7: Notifications
Review templates on the Notifications tab:
| Template | Notes |
|---|---|
| Confirmation email | Sent when a makeup is booked |
| Reminder email / SMS | Before the makeup |
| Unused/expiring credits reminder | Configure on the ongoing service — that's where the credit was issued |
How clients book a makeup
- Student cancels an ongoing lesson, per your cancellation policy
- Opus1.io issues a service credit mapped to the makeup service
- Client logs in, opens Credits, and clicks Use on the credit
- Self-booking opens for the makeup service, with staff restricted to the original teacher
Staff can also book makeups on a client's behalf from the calendar or client profile.
Setup checklist
- [ ] One makeup service per lesson duration, named clearly with "Makeup"
- [ ] Duration matches the corresponding ongoing service exactly
- [ ] Tagged with duration, instrument, and
Makeup - [ ] Credit-only plan, enabled for self-booking
- [ ] Restrict credit usage with staff enabled
- [ ] Availability mode decided (all availability vs. cancellation slots only)
- [ ] Schedule optimization off
- [ ] Cancellation policy set — forfeit, or credits mapped back to this service
- [ ] Hidden from visitor and client self-booking menus
- [ ] Ongoing service maps cancellation credits to this makeup service
- [ ] Staff availabilities allow makeup booking windows
FAQ
Q: Why can't clients just rebook a cancelled lesson into the same ongoing service?
A: They can, but it competes for the same paid slots other families are trying to book. A separate makeup service keeps redemption off your revenue-generating calendar.
Q: What happens if I hide the makeup service but forget to enable its plan for self-booking?
A: The Use button on a client's credit relies on the plan being enabled for self-booking, even though the service itself is hidden from browsing. Without it, clients won't be able to redeem their credit.
Q: Can a makeup lesson be cancelled and rebooked again?
A: Only if you set the cancellation type to issue a credit instead of forfeit — and if you do, map that credit back to the makeup service, not the ongoing one. Most studios forfeit on makeup cancellations to avoid an endless chain of makeups.
Q: Can makeups be redeemed in a group class instead of a private lesson?
A: Yes. Some studios run a group makeup workshop and map appointment makeup credits to a session service instead of an appointment service. Select the session service in the same credit-mapping dropdown on the ongoing service.
Q: Do I need a separate makeup service for each instrument?
A: You need one per duration, since the credit has to match the lesson length. Splitting further by instrument is a naming choice — though it does make the "restrict to original staff" behavior easier to explain to families.
Related Articles
- Appointment Services overview — shared configuration reference and how the three services connect
- Setting up ongoing private lessons — the service that issues makeup credits
- Setting up trial lessons — converting prospects before they ever need a makeup
- Mapping Makeup Credits to Makeup Services — the full credit-routing walkthrough
- Understanding Cancellation Makeup Credit Settings — validity, caps, and timing rules