How The Plastic Flamingo Elevated Client Convenience with Buy Now, Pay Later

The Plastic Flamingo is a 15-room, female-oriented tattoo and beauty studio founded by artist and medical tattoo specialist, Brittany, and her husband Will, who manages operations. Built during the turbulence of the COVID era, the studio quickly became a safe, inclusive, highly aesthetic space merging traditional tattoo culture with modern beauty services.

As their service offerings expanded from fine-line tattoos to permanent makeup, scar camouflage, waxing, medical tattooing, piercings, facials, massage therapy, and permanent jewelry, the team needed a platform that could keep up. They chose Vagaro early on and have been using it ever since to manage their fast-growing operation.

Today, The Plastic Flamingo uses Vagaro not only as their all-in-one system for booking, forms, reminders, and reporting, but also to offer clients more flexible options through Buy Now, Pay Later, powered by Affirm.

Vagaro makes running a business a lot easier. It’s intuitive and keeps everything in one place. For a business offering so many different services, that changes everything.

A Studio Designed to Bridge Two Worlds

Brittany spent years in tattoo and beauty environments that weren’t always approachable or welcoming to any gender. When COVID shook the industry and her previous workplace became unstable, she and Will saw an opportunity to build something different.

Their vision:

To create a feminine, safe, highly skilled tattoo and beauty studio where clients can get everything from medical tattooing to lashes to piercings under one roof.

This unique blend instantly drew clients who loved the approachable aesthetic and high-level service. As demand grew, The Plastic Flamingo needed software that supported both their hybrid service model and their back-of-house systems.

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Medical Tattooing That Restores Confidence for Breast Cancer Survivors

One of the most meaningful services offered at The Plastic Flamingo is areola reconstruction tattooing for breast cancer survivors. Brittany provides this service completely free of charge, using her background in fine art and medical tattooing to help clients reclaim ownership of their bodies after mastectomies.

These appointments go far beyond aesthetics. They are intimate, emotional, and deeply restorative experiences. Brittany’s meticulous technique, combined with the studio’s bright, feminine environment, allows clients to feel safe, supported, and celebrated during a pivotal moment in their healing journey.

The Plastic Flamingo’s commitment to this work is a defining part of their mission: to create a space where beauty, art, and compassion intersect for every client who walks through their doors.

Why They Chose Vagaro

When The Plastic Flamingo opened, Brittany had experience with tools like Square and Booksy, but nothing offered the flexibility, customization, and multi-service support their studio needed.

What Stood Out to Them:

• A single platform that supports tattooing, beauty, massage, and medical-adjacent services
• Highly customizable forms for medical tattooing, PMU, and specialty services
• Automated reminders and prep instructions that save time and reduce back-and-forth
• Robust reporting and bookkeeping tools Will relies on daily
• Online booking that eliminates paper calendars and manual scheduling
• A unified client experience across all 15 service rooms

Vagaro makes running a business a lot easier. It’s very intuitive and keeps everything in one place.

How Vagaro Supports Their Day-to-Day Operations

Digital Forms That Fit Complex Services

Medical tattooing, scar camouflage, and permanent makeup requires detailed intake forms. Vagaro’s customizable templates became essential tools for compliance, safety, and efficiency. Clients can also receive prep instructions automatically, helping them arrive prepared and reducing Brittany’s manual workload.

Appointment Reminders & Prep Emails

Automated reminders dramatically cut down on no-shows and reduce admin time. Clients love knowing exactly what to expect before every service.

Reporting & Bookkeeping That Keep the Studio Organized

With so many services and providers in one space, Vagaro’s in-depth reports help Will stay on top of revenue, trends, and day-to-day logistics.

A Unified System for Every Type of Service

Instead of juggling multiple apps, calendars, and payment tools, The Pink Flamingo Team can manage their entire studio from one platform.

Adding Flexibility with Buy Now, Pay Later

Because they offer many high-value services like tattoos, piercings, specialty beauty services, and medical tattooing, the team made sure they offered a payment option that helped clients feel more comfortable when booking.

The first time Brittany and Will used Buy Now, Pay Later powered by Affirm, they were nervous. The checkout process should be as quick and painless as possible, and they weren’t sure that Buy Now, Pay Later would create a smooth experience for their clients. However, once that first transaction went through, they let out a sigh of relief.

The Plastic Flamingo found that clients most often use Pay Later for piercings and spontaneous add-ons like lower or mid-tier services that are booked last-minute, not necessarily their longer-planned tattoo appointments.

Still, the impact was clear:

The first time we used Buy Now, Pay Later, everything went through immediately. It took away all the nerves from checkout.

Even if their clients are planners, having the option instantly adds convenience and accessibility.

Blending Art, Care, and Flexible Payments

From tattoo artistry to medical aesthetics to luxury self-care, The Plastic Flamingo proves that a studio can blend creativity, inclusivity, and professionalism while offering clients flexible ways to book and pay. With Vagaro and Buy Now, Pay Later working behind the scenes, Brittany and Will can focus on what they do best: creating a space where every client feels confident, cared for, and welcomed.

Powered by Vagaro, the leading software for businesses in beauty, wellness, and fitness, The Plastic Flamingo manages booking, payments, and client experiences seamlessly. You can explore their work and book an appointment directly through Vagaro or visit The Plastic Flamingo online to see what makes their studio truly one of a kind.