How a salon or clinic replies to Google reviews: 9 templates

Written by Wanna AI. Checked on 18 Oct 2026, refreshed every 30 days. Wanna drafts marketing for small businesses from their website and does not answer Google reviews. The templates are our own drafting, untested, and we have no figures on what a reply does for bookings.

Short answer. Reply in your own voice, keep it short, name what the person said, and never offer a deal. For a bad review, apologize for the specific thing and move to a call.

What Google says

• Verify your business, then in your Business Profile select Read reviews, then Reply (Google help).
• Google checks a reply against its content policies first: usually up to 10 minutes, up to 30 days. You can edit or delete it later, and the reviewer can still change their review.
• The tips page says to be conversational, not promotional, and not to "offer deals or promotions". It also says: "Never share a reviewer's private information or engage in personal attacks."

5-star: three templates

Templates 1 to 8 are for salons and other non-medical businesses. A clinic uses template 9 wording at every star rating.

> 1. Plain thanks. Thank you, {first name}. {Stylist's name} will be glad to read this. See you at your next {service}.

> 2. Naming the detail. Thank you, {first name}. Glad the {specific thing they mentioned} worked for you. Come back whenever you need us.

> 3. Short thanks, no names. Thank you for writing this. It means a lot to the whole team at {business}.

3-star: three templates

> 4. Praise and a gap. Thank you, {first name}. We're glad the {good thing} went well. Sorry the {problem} fell short. Could you call {phone} so we can put it right?

> 5. Mixed and specific. Thanks for the honest note, {first name}. We're looking at {the wait/price/finish}. Email {address} if you'd like to talk.

> 6. No detail given. Thank you, {first name}. We'd like to know what would have made it a 5. You can reach us at {phone}.

1-star: three templates

> 7. A real mistake. {First name}, we're sorry about {the specific thing}. That isn't how we want a visit to go. Please call {name} at {phone} so we can make it right.

> 8. Cannot find the person. We're sorry to read this. We can't find a visit under this name. Please contact us at {email} and tell us when you came in, so we can look into it.

> 9. Clinic version. We're sorry your experience wasn't what you hoped for. We can't discuss any care in a review. Please contact the practice at {phone}.

Template 9 is for clinics, at every star rating. On 2 October 2019 HHS's Office for Civil Rights announced that Elite Dental Associates of Dallas paid $10,000 to settle HIPAA violations: the practice had disclosed patients' health information in replies to patient reviews on its Yelp page (HHS). The OCR Director said: "Doctors and dentists must think carefully about patient privacy before responding to online reviews." In a separate settlement with Cadia Healthcare Facilities, OCR said a written authorization is generally needed before posting a person's health information in a testimonial or on social media (HHS). Template 9 does not confirm the writer was a patient. Ask a lawyer.

Time per reply

We have not timed anyone and found no source that measured it. Count your own: reply to ten reviews, note the minutes, divide.

Tools that draft replies, prices read 18 Oct 2026

We ran none. Autopilot posts unread, a risk on a 1-star review.

Where Wanna fits, and its minus

Wanna's Google step keeps your profile link and gives you a message that asks happy clients for a review. It states it will never "answer a review, or post on Google". Its minus: it does not draft your replies, and it is early. For clinic tools, see AI tools for dental clinics.

What this does not replace

• Your own read of the review. A tool that posts unread can say something false in your name.
• A call to the unhappy person. A person fixes the problem.
• Legal advice. Health privacy rules differ by place.
• Evidence. We found no source measuring what replies do for bookings, and state none.

FAQ

How do I reply to a Google review as a business owner? Verify your business, open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Reply. Google checks the reply first.

How should I reply to a 1-star Google review? Apologize for the specific thing, keep it short, give a phone number or email, and do not argue. Templates 7 to 9 are starting points.

Can a clinic reply to a patient's Google review? Yes, but do not confirm the person was a patient or describe care. Template 9 does neither. Ask a lawyer.

Can AI reply to Google reviews for me? Some tools draft replies and some post them by themselves. Read each draft first. Wanna does not.