By DK, Riverd Founder. Last updated: 2026-10-02. Holistic practitioner software is usually built for someone else. Salon tools assume a front desk and a retail shelf. Clinical EHRs assume insurance codes and diagnosis fields that have no place in an energy session. A Reiki Master offering 60-minute in-person sessions, a 45-minute private sound bath, and a free 15-minute intro call needs something much smaller: a booking page that lists those three things clearly, a short intake, a private place to write what happened, and a way to get paid.
This post is a checklist for that practice. It covers what a Reiki, energy work, breathwork, or sound healing practice needs from software, which parts you can get free, which cost money, and what the common options charge in 2026.
What software do holistic practitioners use?
Holistic practitioners mostly use a general scheduler, a salon booking app, or a practice management tool built for solo wellness work. A general scheduler such as Calendly handles the calendar but keeps no client records. Salon apps add retail and staff features. A solo practice tool combines booking, an intake form, private session notes, reminders, and payments, which covers most energy and sound practices.
The choice comes down to how much of your week you want in one place. Plenty of practitioners start with a free scheduler, a paper intake on a clipboard, and Venmo, then notice they cannot answer "when did she last come in, and what did we work on?" without digging through three apps. That question is the one to test any tool against.
Here is the checklist, with what each job typically costs:
| Job | Free in Riverd? | Typical cost elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| A booking page listing each offering with its length and price | Yes | Free on most schedulers, limited to one event type on Calendly Free |
| A free intro call as its own service | Yes, list it at $0 | Needs a paid Calendly plan if it is your second event type |
| Intake form, completed and signed before the first visit | Yes, 3 form types on Brook | Included on Acuity Starter, paid tiers elsewhere |
| Private session notes per client | Yes | Not offered by general schedulers |
| A body diagram to mark where you worked | Yes, up to 3 saved books on Brook | Rare outside massage software |
| Email reminders | Yes, 24 hours before | Usually included |
| Text reminders | River plan, to US and Canadian mobile numbers | From the Standard plan on Acuity |
| Card payments | Yes, through your own Square | Processing fees everywhere |
Is there free booking software for energy healers?
Yes, there is free booking software for energy healers. Riverd's Brook plan is free for up to 20 appointments a month, with no credit card, and covers booking, intake forms, session notes, and payments through your own Square. Square Appointments has a free plan for solo professionals, and Calendly's free plan allows one event type. Each free plan has a different limit.
The limits are worth reading closely. Here are the published prices as of September 2026, taken from each vendor's pricing page on 2026-09-22:
| Tool | Free plan | What the free plan limits | Paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverd | Brook, up to 20 appointments a month | Appointment count; text reminders to US and Canadian mobile numbers are on River | River, $39/mo billed annually or $59 month to month (50 sessions) |
| Square Appointments | Free, for solo professionals | Card processing is 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online | Plus, $49/mo per location |
| Calendly | Free | One event type, so an intro call and a paid session cannot both be listed | Standard, $10/seat/mo billed yearly or $12 monthly |
| Acuity Scheduling | No (7-day trial) | Not applicable | Starter, $16/mo billed annually or $20 monthly; text reminders from Standard ($27/mo annually) |
For a practice seeing a few clients a week, 20 appointments a month is about five a week. If you run more than that, River at $39 a month (billed annually) raises the cap to 50 and adds text reminders to US and Canadian mobile numbers. Riverd's paid plans are month to month or annual, and you can compare every plan on the pricing page.
Do holistic healers need SOAP notes?
Holistic healers do not all need SOAP notes, but every practice benefits from a short, consistent session note. SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) is a clinical format. If you practice under a massage or other health license, follow that board's documentation rules. If you do not, a note recording what the client reported, what you did, how they responded, and what you suggested works well.
A useful energy or sound session note answers four questions: what the client said they came in with, which techniques and placements you used (hand positions, bowls, tuning forks, breath patterns), what they reported afterward, and what you planned for next time. Write it in the client's words where you can, and keep interpretations modest. "Client reported feeling calmer and sleeping better last week" is a record. "Released blocked heart energy" is a belief, and it can read as a health claim if a client ever sees it.
In Riverd, each session has its own private note that is never shown to the client, and every past note sits on that client's record. For hands-on work, the Patient Book gives you anatomical body diagrams (front, back, both sides, hands, and feet) to circle where you placed your hands. Brook includes up to 3 saved books, and River includes unlimited. Reed, Riverd's AI assistant, can also format a rough summary you type into SOAP sections on every plan, using your monthly AI credits, if you work under a license that expects them.
What should a holistic intake form ask?
A holistic intake form should ask for contact details, what brings the client in, whether they are under a doctor's care, current conditions or medications they want you to know about, pregnancy, comfort with light touch or a hands-off session, sensitivity to sound or scent, and a signed statement that the session complements medical care and does not replace it.
That last line matters. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says on its Reiki page that Reiki "hasn't been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose," and also that it "hasn't been shown to have any harmful effects." An honest consent statement protects you and respects the client. It also keeps your booking page and intake free of promises your work cannot be measured against.
Riverd's client intake forms are included on every plan, including free Brook, with 3 form types and unlimited sends. A practice that is not massage starts from a general health-history form, and you add questions by describing them in plain words, such as "add a question about sensitivity to loud sound." The client fills it on their phone before the first session, signs with their typed name, and the signed form lands on their record as a PDF. Intake forms are available to US practices. For the questions massage therapists ask, which overlap with hands-on energy work, see what to include on a massage intake form.
How do you set up a Reiki or sound healing practice in Riverd?
To set up a Reiki or sound healing practice in Riverd, create one service per offering with its own length and price, publish your practice page, and turn on an intake form for first sessions. Most practitioners list a free intro call, a standard session, and any longer or specialty session, then share the booking link from their Instagram bio.
A typical setup for a solo practitioner looks like this:
- Services. "Intro call, 15 min, $0", "Reiki, 60 min", and "Private sound bath, 45 min", each with a one-line description of what happens. See online booking for how clients choose a time.
- Intake. A general intake with your consent statement, set to send automatically when a new client books their first session.
- Payments. Connect your own Square account and set your no-show policy to card required to book, so clients save a card when they book. No money moves at booking. You charge the saved card for the session yourself afterward, and the money goes straight to your Square. Riverd's fee is $1 per charge on Brook, and clients agree to your no-show policy when they save the card. Card payments covers the details.
- Calendar. Two-way Google Calendar sync is included on Brook, so a personal event in Google blocks that time on your booking page.
Riverd does not host video, so distance Reiki clients book through Riverd and meet you on your usual video tool. Packages and multi-session bundles are on the roadmap and not available yet. Everything Riverd does for energy and sound practitioners is on the free practice software for holistic healers page, and more on the business side of solo practice lives in the practice growth hub.
Key Takeaways
- A Reiki, energy, or sound practice needs a booking page, an intake with a consent statement, private notes, reminders, and payments.
- Free plans differ: Calendly Free allows one event type, Square Free charges per card payment, and Riverd Brook caps at 20 appointments a month.
- A short, consistent session note in the client's words beats an interpretive one, and SOAP is only required under some licenses.
- Keep health claims off your booking page and intake; NCCIH says Reiki has not been clearly shown effective for any health purpose.
This is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Rules for energy work, touch, and record keeping vary by state and by any license you hold, so check with your own licensing board.
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