Nelson – Barbershop Hairdresser, Tattoo Salon Theme

With a razor in hand, nobody answers the phone

In a small barbershop, the person serving the customer is also the one who should take the call. The phone rings halfway through a shave and there are two bad choices: stop the work or let it ring for someone who wanted an appointment and will probably call somewhere else.

In a chair-based business, busy hands are the job itself, so the online schedule acts as the receptionist you do not have. That is why, when looking at Nelson, the first thing worth checking is the appointment flow, not the home page.

Nelson, by ThemeREX, is a WordPress theme for barbershops, hair salons and tattoo studios, with an appointment system and an integrated store.

Nelson's schedule: QuickCal handles appointments

Bookings are not run by the theme itself but by QuickCal, an appointment plugin included in the package that must be active. This is what it adds:

• Unlimited calendars, with different schedules and availability per person or location.
• Booking agents: each calendar can be assigned to a different person.
• Advance buffer, so nobody books an appointment too close to the current time.
• Self-service: customers manage their own appointments and account details.
• Customizable emails for you and the customer.
• Appointment payment through the WooCommerce connection.

Three skins, plus services, team and store

• Default, the main design, and the only one that uses Slider Revolution.
• Hair Salon, aimed at hairdressing.
• Nails Artist, for nails and make-up.

The three differ only in design, although the required plugins and demo data vary with the one you pick. They are joined by home pages such as Parallax and Beauty. None of the skins is dedicated to tattooing.

Services and team members are created as their own post types and displayed with their widgets. The demo includes about, services, team, appointment, shop, FAQ and contact pages.

It is edited with Elementor, has more than 750 Customizer options and works with the Gutenberg editor. Essential Grid creates the galleries, Contact Form 7 the forms and MailChimp for WP the subscriber lists. The store is WooCommerce.

The Instagram widget shows demo photos until you connect your account with a valid access token.

The chair and the till stay outside the website

Nelson's features do not include an in-store till, commission calculations or a queue for walk-ins. It is a website with a schedule, not salon management software.

Translation does not live in one place either: part of the text belongs to ThemeREX Addons, and Poedit is recommended for editing it. It supports WPML.

From the package to the first appointment

Nelson needs ThemeREX Addons and Elementor. The recommended PHP settings are max_execution_time 600, memory_limit 256M, post_max_size 32M and upload_max_filesize 32M. The order that avoids trouble is this:

1. Install the theme and ThemeREX Addons, and add the recommended plugins.
2. Install a child theme before importing: otherwise the theme options are reset.
3. Choose the skin under Theme Panel, Theme Dashboard, Skins.
4. Import under Demo Data. A full import replaces all content, so keep it for new installs; a partial import adds without overwriting.
5. Set up QuickCal under Appointments, Settings, with one calendar per person, and book a test appointment.

Tristero, Jericho and standalone schedulers

If your work is tattooing only, Tristero has six home pages, one focused on the portfolio and another on the team. For another barbershop option there is Jericho.

If you already have a theme and only need the schedule, QuickCal can be used separately, and Bookly Pro is another booking plugin in the catalog.

Each barber with a calendar, and more answers

Which plugin handles appointments?

QuickCal, included in the package. Its settings are under Appointments, Settings.

Can each barber have their own calendar?

Yes. You create calendars with their own schedules and assign each one to an agent.

Can appointments be paid in advance?

Yes, by connecting QuickCal to WooCommerce.

What changes from one skin to another?

The design, and with it the required plugins and demo data.

Does it include a tattoo skin?

The three skins are Default, Hair Salon and Nails Artist. None is dedicated to tattooing.

Does it work without Elementor?

Plan on it: Elementor and ThemeREX Addons are the two required plugins.