An acupuncture website that explains the first session honestly
Someone booking acupuncture for the first time is usually curious and a little nervous about needles. The practitioners who fill their diaries are the ones whose websites explain exactly what happens, what it costs and how they trained, and who are careful not to promise what acupuncture can't be shown to do.
Walk people through the first appointment
The single most useful page on an acupuncture website is "What to expect". Write it as a sequence, in the order a new patient experiences it:
- Before you come: eat a light meal, wear loose clothing, allow extra time for the first visit.
- The consultation: you'll be asked about your health, medication and what you'd like help with. Say how long this part usually takes.
- The needles: how fine they are, that they're single-use and sterile, roughly how many and where, and what people commonly feel.
- During treatment: how long needles stay in, whether you stay in the room, and that the patient can ask to stop at any time.
- Afterwards: possible light-headedness or minor bruising, and how soon to book a follow-up.
- How many sessions: how you review progress, rather than selling a fixed block upfront.
Photographs of your actual treatment room, with a clean couch and good light, help more than stock images of needles in a back.
Careful wording about what it's used for
This is where acupuncture sites most often get into trouble. Advertising standards in many countries treat claims that a therapy treats a named medical condition as health claims that need solid evidence, and complaints are common. Generic generated copy makes this worse, because it reaches for confident lists of conditions. Prefer wording about why people come to you ("many of my patients come with back pain or headaches") over claims that acupuncture cures or treats them, and avoid any suggestion that people stop prescribed treatment. You are responsible for the claims on your site; check them against the advertising rules and your professional body's guidance where you practise.
Training, membership and safety
Visitors can't judge needle technique, so they judge credentials. An About page should state your training (where, how long, what level), your membership of a professional body with a link to its public register, any other healthcare registration you hold, and your insurance. If you work from a clinic room that is licensed by a local authority for skin piercing, say so. Keep it factual; a page that reads like a CV reassures more than one that reads like an advert.
Fees, packages and cancellations
State the price of the first appointment and of follow-ups, how long each lasts, and whether concessions are available. If you offer a block of sessions at a reduced rate, show it as an option rather than the default. A clear cancellation policy, with how much notice you need, saves awkward conversations. If you sell gift vouchers or session blocks online, point the button at a payment link from Stripe, PayPal or another provider.
Booking and the new-patient form
Anticode's booking calendar works well for a solo practitioner. Set up "First appointment" and "Follow-up" as separate services so they appear with the right label; each slot takes one booking, and the form asks for service, day, time, name, phone and email. It offers six fixed times a day (09:00 to 17:30, Mondays skipped) that you can't change, takes no deposits and doesn't sync with another calendar, so if you also take bookings by phone, check each online booking against your diary and confirm it yourself.
Many acupuncturists like a new-patient form before the first visit. The booking form's fields are fixed, so a longer intake form needs a custom form tied to a site function (up to 30 text fields) or an app build; both reach you through the same sealed submissions inbox. Keep it short: contact details, GP name if you need it, and a free-text box for what they'd like help with. Detailed medical history is better taken in person and stored in your clinical notes system. Since the site collects personal details, the account owner and the person publishing must turn on two-factor sign-in before Anticode will publish it.
Look and feel
Calm and plain beats mystical. The Organic (Figtree) design system with a green or teal action colour suits most practices; Editorial (Geist) works for a practitioner who writes longer explanations. Avoid decorative symbols and imagery that make the practice look like a spa if you want referrals from GPs and physiotherapists. Neighbouring guides: massage therapists and osteopaths.
What Anticode won't do here
- No clinical notes, consent records or patient portal.
- No deposits, no calendar sync, and one booking per service per slot.
- No review of your health claims; the Privacy Policy and Terms it writes are starting points only.
- No file uploads, so patients can't attach letters or scans to a form.
Questions people ask
Can I list the conditions acupuncture helps with?
Be cautious. Health claims are regulated in many places. Describe why people come to you and what a session involves, and check your wording against local advertising rules.
Can patients fill in a health questionnaire on my acupuncturist website?
The standard booking form has fixed fields. A short intake form is possible as a custom form or an app build; keep detailed medical history for the consultation.
Can I sell session blocks online?
Yes, through a payment link from your own provider such as Stripe or PayPal. The site doesn't track how many sessions each person has left.