Written by Dan Barraclough Reviewed by Ruairi Shirlow Updated on 7 June 2022 Our site is reader-supported – by clicking our links, we can match you with a potential supplier, and we may earn a small commission for this referral. Relax – we’ve got you covered. Read on to discover the best EPOS systems for spasWhether you’re setting up a brand new spa or expanding into another premises, investing in a modern EPOS system is a great way to lessen – or even avoid – the stresses and strains of running your own business. This is because EPOS systems aren’t just about offering you a quick and easy way to take payments – they’re complete business management systems, equipped with tonnes of business management tools for you to take full advantage of. Spa POS systems are suitable for businesses of all sizes, whether you own a small nail salon with one member of staff, or run a spa with a whirlpool, massage rooms, and an afternoon tea lounge. From marketing to booking appointments, taking payments, and analysing sales, these systems can help you every step of the way.But which EPOS systems do it best? Expert Market has conducted research into the best EPOS systems for spas, taking into consideration available integrations, reporting, e-commerce, hardware, and customer satisfaction. The best spa EPOS solutionsOur research has concluded that the best spa POS systems are supplied by Square, Vend, Revel, Phorest Salon, and Clover. 01 | Square 02 | Vend 03 | Revel 04 | Phorest Salon 05 | Clover 06 | Expert Verdict 07 | How We Test Spa EPOS Systems Use the list above to navigate to your preferred supplier, or check out the table below to see how we’ve rated them. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Square Vend Revel Systems Phorest Salon Clover Score 4.8 Score 4.4 Score 3.5 Score 3.5 Score 4.0 Best for Integrations Best for Ecommerce Best for Reporting Best for Customer satisfaction Best for Hardware aesthetics Receive Quotes! Do you already own a POS system? Yes No 1. SquareBest for integration With Square, you can start taking payments quickly and simply – all you need to do is purchase its card reader for £29. Once the card reader has arrived, simply sync it up to your tablet, and start taking payments. The great thing about Square is it integrates with a whole host of apps, including booking software and customer relationship management systems, so you’ll have all the tools you need to make your business a success.Square’s free POS app is simple and straightforward although this simplicity does mean that it’s not a very comprehensive system compared to other POS systems on the market. However, at a price point of £0 for the app, the cost-savings usually make up for any lack of features. Square review 2. VendBest for ecommerce How often do customers ask where they can purchase your spa products? Wouldn’t it be great if you could tell them they can purchase the products from your website? Vend enables you to take your spa from the street to the web, giving you an additional medium for making money. And thanks to integrations with apps such as Timely and Marsello, booking in those customers – and keeping them – is easier than ever. The software is easy to use and has handy features such as monthly reports and inventory stock so you can accurately stay on top of orders. Read more 3. RevelBest for reporting You can’t grow your business without facts and figures. Thankfully, reporting is what Revel does best. You’ll be able to set up your spa POS so you can find out which massages sell, how often customers use the sauna rooms, and which afternoon tea selection is the most successful – and that’s just the start. Use this information to cash in on your clients’ preferences, and grow your business in areas that are most profitable.Some features can get a little complicated such as adding discounts but if you or your staff are running into these issues, Revel offers helpful video tutorials to learn how best to use the system. Read more 4. Phorest SalonBest for customer satisfaction With over 345 reviews online and an average score of 4.87 stars, Phorest Salon has some seriously satisfied customers. Its highest ratings are for ease of use and customer support – probably the two most important areas – which means you won’t have to worry about training staff, or sorting out the odd problem. On top of that, Phorest’s quotes are completely custom, so you should only end up paying for the features you need.Some users have found that add-on features can come at a fairly costly price, racking up your monthly bill. The salon-dedicated features are super helpful however and the interface is fairly easy to use. Read more 5. Clover Best for hardware aesthetics Clover’s POS hardware is sleek and beautiful – perfect for fresh faced spas and salons. Its most innovative piece of hardware is the Clover Flex, which allows you to take payments on the go. You could even purchase a Clover Flex for your massage room, so relaxed clients don’t have to stress over the reception queue. And it’s not just a pretty face, either – Clover integrates with a variety of apps, giving you the tools you need to run a successful business. You can opt for Clover Flex, a handheld POS system making it quicker and easier to take mobile payments. This includes a build-in scanner so you can easily stay on top managing your inventory levels. Expert verdictChoosing the best spa EPOS solution for your business really comes down to the finer details of your priority list. All of the spa POS systems in our list integrate with a heap of useful apps to help you manage your business, whether that’s booking tools, customer relationship management systems, or accountancy tools. Perhaps you’re looking for sleek hardware, a more basic system, or even something with a customisable user interface. Or maybe you’re just looking for the most cost-effective POS software. Whatever you require, it’s always best to talk directly to a supplier – see what they can offer you for your budget, let them recommend a package based on your needs, and receive a quote that includes any potential setup fees or monthly payments. And better still, we’ve made it really easy for you to do just that. Simply enter a few details about your spa or salon business into our online form, and receive tailored quotes from a range of top EPOS suppliers. How We Test Spa EPOS SystemsThe Expert Market team tested and assessed 10 different EPOS systems to bring you this list. We spend around 160 hours researching EPOS platforms, and over 20 hours testing them. During that time, we used our learnings to evaluate how each EPOS system fared in six categories that are important to businesses, broken down into up to 12 subcategories, in order to get an impartial ranking.Here’s what we looked at:EPOS software: the breadth of features included in the EPOS software, and how valuable they are to the average business, including inventory management, marketing and customer engagement tools, and refund management.Hardware/equipment: the variety of equipment available to purchase or rent, with special importance given to key items, such as physical terminals, customer displays, and accessories.Ease-of-use: how easy each system is to use, based on feedback from several average users who were assigned basic tasks to complete on each system, such as item creation, accessing reports, or applying a discount.Help and support: how effective and reachable the customer support teams are, with bonus points given to EPOS systems with help centres and training modes.Costs: the price of the system, how it compares to competitors, and whether it's good value for money.User experience: whether everyday users know and like the system, whether they’d recommend it, and what they say about it in online reviews.The score of each of these areas was combined to create an overall score for each of the different types of EPOS systems. Receive tailored EPOS quotes for your spa business Receive Quotes FAQsAre there monthly fees for owning an EPOS system? Most EPOS suppliers supply their EPOS software for free. However, this is balanced out by credit card transaction fees. EPOS suppliers take a small percentage of every credit card transaction you take – this is usually around 1.75%. Of course, any apps you download will incur their own monthly charge, depending on which package you choose. Most suppliers also give you the option to pay for EPOS hardware upfront or on a monthly basis, so simply request quotes to find out how much your business could potentially pay.How do I create an online store for my spa business?The majority of spa point of sale systems integrate with ecommerce tools such as Shopify. You’ll need to download the app onto your point of sale system, and select the package you require. You’ll then be able to set up your online store, and integrate it with your POS system so you receive all of your sales figures in one place. Just bear in mind that most EPOS suppliers charge more per credit card transaction when your customers purchase products through your website. How will CRM integration help my business grow?All spa and salon EPOS solutions will integrate with CRM software. Customer relationship management software helps you to build and nurture a client base, usually though email and text marketing. You can use the software to see which services a customer purchases, and use that data to send them tailored offers. You can also see how your customers are interacting with your business on social media, and manage customer inquiries so you never lose a sale. Written by: Dan Barraclough Dan’s a Senior Writer at Expert Market, specialising in digital marketing, web design, and photocopiers, amongst other topics. Reviewed by: Ruairi Shirlow Business Services Researcher Ruairi uses his 3+ years of research experience to uncover insights which can help Expert Market provide the best business solutions for their users. He has done this by meeting with business owners to find out what is important to them and what challenges they face on a daily basis. Ruairi specialises in tools that can be used to grow your business and has done research for a wide range of categories on Expert Market, such as EPOS, Website Builders, and Merchant Accounts.