Squarespace Scheduling Setup: Appointments, Calendars & Classes
If you run a service-based business — a therapy practice, a coaching business, a fitness studio, a beauty salon — chances are you've wondered how to let clients book time with you directly through your website, without the back-and-forth of emails or phone calls. Good news: Squarespace has a built-in scheduling tool that can handle all of it. And it is genuinely not as complicated to set up as you might think.
In this tutorial, our team member Lindsay walks you through the entire setup from a completely blank trial — appointment types, multiple provider calendars, classes, add-ons, intake forms, and finally embedding the scheduler right onto your site so clients can start booking. Watch the full video below, then keep reading for a breakdown of everything covered.
Watch the full tutorial here — Lindsay covers every step from a blank trial to a fully functioning booking system.
What Squarespace Scheduling actually is
Squarespace Scheduling is powered by Acuity Scheduling — a platform Squarespace acquired a few years back, which now runs as a paid add-on inside your Squarespace account. Think of it as a separate but connected system: you access it through the Scheduling section of your Squarespace dashboard, and it opens up the Acuity interface where all the setup happens.
There are three plans — Starter, Standard, and Premium. The free 14-day trial gives you access to the Standard plan, no credit card required. If your business has multiple providers or locations, you'll need Standard or higher — the Starter plan only includes one calendar, while Standard gives you up to six.
What the tutorial covers, step by step
Lindsay walks through the full setup using a sample counselling practice — Thrive Life Counseling — with three therapists and a mix of individual sessions, couples appointments, and group workshops. It's a great real-world example because it uses nearly every feature the platform offers. If you haven't watched the video yet, scroll back up — this summary will make a lot more sense once you've seen it in action.
Appointment types
Appointment types are the foundation. This is where you define every service you offer: what it's called, how long it runs, the price, and which calendar(s) it should appear on. You can also add buffer time before or after appointments — handy if you need a few minutes between clients to take notes or reset.
Classes and group events
Classes and group events work slightly differently. You create the appointment type first (setting the duration, capacity, and category), then separately schedule when that class is offered — either as a recurring series or a one-time event. So for a managing anxiety group that runs every Wednesday at 3pm for six weeks, you'd set the recurring schedule after saving the appointment type itself.
Calendars
Calendars — one per provider — live under the Availability section (not the Calendar tab, which just shows the finished view). Each calendar has its own hours, appointment types, notification settings, and reply-to email address. You can also block off specific dates for holidays or time off directly from there.
Add-ons
Add-ons are extras clients can select while booking — in the tutorial, Lindsay adds an extended appointment time option that automatically adjusts the slot length in the calendar when selected.
Intake forms
Intake forms let you collect custom information as part of the booking process. The tutorial shows how to ask clients whether they prefer an in-person or online appointment, and how to assign different forms to different appointment types.
Embedding the scheduler
Embedding the scheduler is the final step. You have two options: a direct link you can attach to a button anywhere on your site, or a booking button code block that opens the scheduler as an overlay on top of your page — so clients never leave your site to complete their booking. Lindsay walks through both in the video above.
One more thing: make sure your site is worth booking on
Setting up a slick scheduling system is a big win — but it only matters if the people landing on your site actually stick around long enough to use it. If your website is turning visitors off before they ever get to your booking page, that's the thing to fix first.
Watch this video next — it covers nine website design mistakes that are costing service-based businesses clients, and exactly how to fix each one:
Once your scheduling system is live, clients can book, choose their provider, fill out your intake form, and confirm their appointment — all without you lifting a finger. That's the whole point: your website doing the admin work so you can stay focused on the actual work.
