Fresha Scraper - Salon & Spa Data Extractor

Extract salon, spa, and beauty service data from Fresha.com - the world's largest booking platform for beauty and wellness services.

This Actor supports two powerful modes for different use cases:

Features

• Complete service catalog — every service captured via real-browser booking-flow fetch
• Two scraping modes: venue (deep) and search (discovery)
• Up to 1000 venues per search run
• Multi-category aggregation — search all 10 Fresha categories at once
• Customer reviews with ISO 8601 dates and reviewsSince for incremental pipelines
• Review reply text and author (including business owner replies)
• Day-by-day operating hours
• GPS coordinates and Google Maps URL
• Team members with roles and ratings
• Packages and bundled service offers
• Three output formats: full / services-only / chatbot-optimised (WhatsApp / n8n)
• Webhook integration (n8n, Make, Zapier)
• CSV / Excel exports via dataset views (services, team, reviews)
• Resilience: graceful fallback with partial: true flag — never returns zero
• No proxy required

---

What Data Can You Extract?

Data Type	Venue Mode	Search Mode
Business name & details	✅	✅
Services with prices	✅ (full list)	❌
Operating hours	✅	❌
Team members & ratings	✅	❌
Customer reviews	✅	❌
Overall rating	✅	✅
Review count	✅	✅
Location/address	✅	✅
Direct booking URL	✅	✅
Packages & offers	✅	❌

---

Mode 1: Venue Scraping (Specific Business)

Best for: Getting complete details about specific salons you already know.

Scrape detailed information from specific Fresha venue pages including all services, prices, team members, reviews, and operating hours.

Example Input

{
  "mode": "venue",
  "venueUrls": [
    "https://www.fresha.com/a/sofitel-spa-dubai-downtown-dubai-sofitel-dubai-downtown-sheikh-zayed-rd-downtown-dubai-4s5674wx",
    "https://www.fresha.com/a/jalal-hafed-gents-salon-dubai-building-6-al-raya-street-city-walk-dubai-z0atp2ev"
  ],
  "outputFormat": "full",
  "includeReviews": true,
  "includeTeam": true,
  "maxReviews": 10
}

Example Output (Full Format)

{
  "venueName": "Sofitel Spa Dubai Downtown",
  "url": "https://www.fresha.com/a/sofitel-spa-dubai-downtown...",
  "description": "Experience luxury wellness at Sofitel Spa...",
  "phone": "+971 4 503 6666",
  "rating": 4.9,
  "reviewsCount": 1156,
  "currency": "AED",
  "priceMin": 150,
  "priceMax": 2500,
  "serviceCount": 47,
  "hours": {
    "Monday": ["10:00 AM - 10:00 PM"],
    "Tuesday": ["10:00 AM - 10:00 PM"]
  },
  "categories": [
    {
      "name": "Massage",
      "services": [
        {
          "name": "Swedish Massage",
          "price": "AED 450",
          "duration": "1 hr",
          "priceValue": 450
        },
        {
          "name": "Deep Tissue Massage",
          "price": "AED 550",
          "duration": "1 hr",
          "priceValue": 550
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Facial Treatments",
      "services": [...]
    }
  ],
  "packages": [
    {
      "name": "Couples Retreat",
      "price": "AED 1200",
      "discount": { "description": "Save 20%", "value": 300 },
      "includes": ["Couples Massage", "Facial", "Spa Access"]
    }
  ],
  "team": [
    {
      "name": "Maria",
      "role": "Spa Therapist",
      "rating": 4.9
    }
  ],
  "reviews": [
    {
      "rating": 5,
      "comment": "Amazing spa experience, highly recommend!",
      "author": "Ahmed",
      "date": "Jan 15, 2026"
    }
  ]
}

Output Formats

Format	Description	Best For
full	All venue data including raw fields	Data analysis, backup
services_only	Just services and prices	Price comparison
chatbot_optimized	Compact format for AI processing	WhatsApp bots, n8n chatbots

---

Mode 2: Search (By Location)

Best for: Discovering salons in a location - either by category or across all categories.

Search for salons and spas by location. Select a specific category or choose "All Categories" for maximum discovery.

Option A: Search Specific Category

{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchLocation": "Dubai, UAE",
  "serviceCategory": "spa",
  "maxSearchResults": 50
}

Output:

{
  "searchQuery": {
    "location": "Dubai, UAE",
    "serviceCategory": "spa",
    "totalFound": 156,
    "resultsReturned": 6
  },
  "venues": [
    {
      "name": "Sofitel Spa Dubai Downtown",
      "slug": "sofitel-spa-dubai-downtown-dubai-sofitel-dubai-downtown-sheikh-zayed-rd-downtown-dubai-4s5674wx",
      "url": "https://www.fresha.com/a/sofitel-spa-dubai-downtown...",
      "rating": 4.9,
      "reviewsCount": 1156,
      "location": "Downtown Dubai, Dubai"
    }
  ],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-01-23T08:01:20.527Z"
}

Option B: Search All Categories (Maximum Discovery)

Select "All Categories" in the dropdown (or leave empty) to automatically search all 10 service categories with automatic deduplication.

{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchLocation": "Dubai, UAE",
  "serviceCategory": "",
  "maxSearchResults": 100
}

Output:

{
  "searchQuery": {
    "location": "Dubai, UAE",
    "mode": "multi-category",
    "categoriesSearched": 10,
    "totalUniqueFound": 24,
    "resultsReturned": 24
  },
  "categoryBreakdown": {
    "spa": { "found": 6, "new": 6 },
    "hair-salon": { "found": 6, "new": 4 },
    "barbershop": { "found": 4, "new": 3 },
    "nail-salon": { "found": 5, "new": 2 },
    "beauty-salon": { "found": 6, "new": 3 },
    "massage": { "found": 4, "new": 1 },
    "skin-care": { "found": 5, "new": 2 },
    "brows-lashes": { "found": 6, "new": 2 },
    "makeup": { "found": 4, "new": 1 },
    "waxing": { "found": 5, "new": 0 }
  },
  "venues": [
    {
      "name": "Sensasia Emirates Golf Club",
      "slug": "sensasia-emirates-golf-club-dubai-...",
      "url": "https://www.fresha.com/a/sensasia-emirates-golf-club-dubai-...",
      "rating": 4.9,
      "reviewsCount": 2017,
      "discoveredInCategory": "spa"
    }
  ],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-01-23T08:30:00.000Z"
}

Search Mode Comparison

Category Selection	Unique Venues	Time	Best For
Specific category	4-10	~30 sec	Quick category lookup
All Categories	15-40+	~5 min	Comprehensive discovery

⚠️ Important: Search Modes Return Featured Venues

Fresha's search page uses a map-centric design:

• The "X venues nearby" count refers to map markers, not a scrollable list
• The list view only shows 6-10 featured/promoted venues per category
• Selecting "All Categories" maximizes discovery by searching all 10 categories

This is a Fresha platform limitation, not a scraper limitation.

Recommended Workflow for Full Data

// Step 1: Discover venues with "All Categories" search
{ "mode": "search", "searchLocation": "Dubai, UAE", "serviceCategory": "" }

// Step 2: Scrape full details for discovered venues
{
  "mode": "venue",
  "venueUrls": [
    "https://www.fresha.com/a/sensasia-emirates-golf-club-dubai-...",
    "https://www.fresha.com/a/curve-beauty-salon-dubai-..."
  ]
}

Available Service Categories

• hair-salon - Hair salons
• barbershop - Barbershops
• nail-salon - Nail salons
• spa - Spas
• beauty-salon - Beauty salons
• massage - Massage therapy
• skin-care - Skin care
• brows-lashes - Brows & lashes
• makeup - Makeup services
• waxing - Waxing services

Supported Locations (Optimized)

The scraper includes GPS coordinates for accurate results in:

• UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi
• Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, Jeddah
• Qatar: Doha
• Kuwait: Kuwait City
• Bahrain: Manama
• Oman: Muscat

Other locations work but may have less accurate results depending on proxy IP.

---

Input Parameters Reference

Common Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
mode	string	venue	Scraping mode: venue (specific business) or search (by location)
webhookUrl	string	-	URL to POST results after scraping
proxyConfiguration	object	Auto	Proxy settings (not required for Fresha)

Venue Mode Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
venueUrls	array	-	List of Fresha venue URLs
venueSlug	string	-	Single venue slug (alternative)
includeReviews	boolean	true	Include customer reviews
includeTeam	boolean	true	Include team members
maxReviews	integer	10	Max reviews to include (0 = all available)
reviewsSince	string	-	ISO 8601 date (e.g. 2026-04-14). Only returns reviews newer than this. Ideal for incremental Mon/Wed/Fri pipelines.
outputFormat	string	full	full / services_only / chatbot_optimized

Search Mode Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
searchLocation	string	-	Location to search (required)
serviceCategory	string	""	Category: empty for all categories (30-60+ venues), or specific category
maxSearchResults	integer	50	Max venues to return (1–1000). Values above 500 take 10–20 min and use the actor's default 4 GB memory.

Review Object Schema

Each review in reviews[] always contains all of these keys — null is used where Fresha doesn't supply a value, so pipelines can destructure safely:

Field	Type	Notes
id	string	Fresha review ID
rating	integer 1–5	Always present
comment	string | null	null for rating-only reviews
date	ISO 8601 UTC	e.g. 2026-04-16T22:34:00.000Z — parseable by new Date()
dateFormatted	string | null	Human-readable, e.g. Thu, Apr 16, 2026 at 10:34 PM
author	string	"Anonymous" if redacted
employeeName	string | null	Staff member who delivered the service, if attributed
reply	object | null	{ text, date, author } when the salon replied

Reviews are returned newest-first as provided by Fresha's API.

---

Integration with n8n

This Actor is designed for seamless integration with n8n workflows.

Option 1: Using Official Apify Node (Recommended)

1. Install the Apify node in n8n (if not already installed)

2. Create Apify API Token:

   • Go to Apify Console → Settings → API & Integrations
   • Create a new API token and copy it

3. Configure n8n Apify Node:

   For Venue Mode:

   Node: Apify
   Operation: Run Actor
   Actor ID: malikgen/fresha-scraper
   Input Body:
   {
     "mode": "venue",
     "venueUrls": ["https://www.fresha.com/a/sofitel-spa-dubai-downtown-dubai-sofitel-dubai-downtown-sheikh-zayed-rd-downtown-dubai-4s5674wx"],
     "outputFormat": "chatbot_optimized",
     "includeReviews": true,
     "maxReviews": 5
   }
   

   For Search Mode:

   Node: Apify
   Operation: Run Actor
   Actor ID: malikgen/fresha-scraper
   Input Body:
   {
     "mode": "search",
     "searchLocation": "Dubai, UAE",
     "serviceCategory": "spa",
     "maxSearchResults": 20
   }
   

4. Get Results:

   • Add another Apify node with Operation: "Get Dataset Items"
   • Connect it to get the scraped data

Option 2: Using HTTP Request Node

If you prefer not to use the Apify node, you can use HTTP requests:

1. Start the Actor Run:

   Node: HTTP Request
   Method: POST
   URL: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/malikgen~fresha-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN
   Body Type: JSON
   Body:
   {
     "mode": "venue",
     "venueUrls": ["https://www.fresha.com/a/sofitel-spa-dubai-downtown-dubai-sofitel-dubai-downtown-sheikh-zayed-rd-downtown-dubai-4s5674wx"],
     "outputFormat": "chatbot_optimized"
   }
   

2. Wait for Completion (add Wait node):

   • Add a Wait node: 30-60 seconds for venue mode, 2-3 minutes for search mode

3. Get Results:

   Node: HTTP Request
   Method: GET
   URL: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/malikgen~fresha-scraper/runs/last/dataset/items?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN
   

Option 3: Using Webhooks (Real-time)

Configure the Actor to POST results directly to your n8n webhook:

1. Create n8n Webhook:

   • Add a Webhook node in n8n
   • Copy the webhook URL

2. Run Actor with Webhook:

   {
     "mode": "venue",
     "venueUrls": ["https://www.fresha.com/a/sofitel-spa-dubai-downtown-dubai-sofitel-dubai-downtown-sheikh-zayed-rd-downtown-dubai-4s5674wx"],
     "webhookUrl": "https://your-n8n-instance.com/webhook/fresha-results"
   }
   

3. Webhook Payload Structure:

   {
     "source": "fresha-scraper",
     "timestamp": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z",
     "data": { /* scraped venue or search data */ }
   }
   

Complete n8n Workflow Example: WhatsApp Salon Assistant

[WhatsApp Trigger]
    → [Check if cached data < 1 hour]
    → [If stale: Run Fresha Scraper]
    → [OpenAI: Process data and user query]
    → [Send WhatsApp response with service info]

Workflow Steps:

1. WhatsApp Trigger: Receives user message like "What massage services does Sofitel Spa offer?"

2. Check Cache: Query your database/Redis for recent data

3. Run Scraper (if needed):

   • Use Apify node with chatbot_optimized format
   • This format is compact and AI-friendly

4. AI Processing:

   • Send scraped data + user question to OpenAI/Claude
   • Get formatted response

5. Send Reply: Return service info to WhatsApp

---

Technical Details

Performance

• Venue mode: ~15-30 seconds per venue (real-browser fetch ensures complete service catalog)
• Search mode: ~30-90 seconds (browser-based, handles JavaScript)

Proxy Recommendations

⚡ GOOD NEWS: No proxy is required! Fresha.com works perfectly without any proxy configuration.

Our testing shows:

Proxy Type	Duration	Cost	Recommendation
No Proxy	~25s	$0.004	✅ BEST - Use this!
Datacenter	~72s	$0.012	Works but slower
Residential	~119s	$0.042	Not needed, expensive

Bottom line: Leave proxy configuration empty/disabled for the best performance and lowest cost. Fresha.com does not have aggressive anti-bot measures.

Rate Limiting

The Actor includes built-in delays and respects Fresha's servers with reasonable request rates.

---

Use Cases

1. Price Comparison: Compare service prices across multiple salons
2. Market Research: Analyze salon ratings and reviews in a region
3. Chatbot Integration: Power WhatsApp/Telegram bots with real salon data
4. Lead Generation: Find salons for B2B outreach
5. Competitive Analysis: Monitor competitor pricing and services
6. Booking Aggregator: Build salon discovery platforms

---

Support & Resources

• Issues: Report bugs on GitHub
• API Documentation: Apify API Reference
• n8n Integration: Apify n8n Docs

---

Changelog

v0.1.6 (Current)

• FIXED: Incomplete service catalogs. Fresha's SSR ships only the initial Apollo cache snapshot (typically 55–70 % of services for deep catalogs). v0.1.6 switches venue mode to Playwright-first with booking-page GraphQL interception — the bookingFlowInitialize response contains the full service catalog. Classic Manicure and other previously missing services are now captured.
• NEW: extractionPath field. Values: playwright (SSR was complete), playwright+booking (booking-page fetch used), cheerio-fallback, jsonld-fallback.
• NEW: extractedServiceCount field. Actual number of services extracted for easy comparison against serviceCount (venue's reported total).
• NEW: partial field. false when Playwright succeeded; true on fallback paths.
• RELIABILITY: 3-level fallback chain. Playwright → Cheerio on captured HTML → JSON-LD metadata. Never returns zero.

v0.1.5

• FIXED: Search returning ~6 venues instead of requested count. Root cause: greedy extractTotalVenuesCount regex matched any small number on the page and capped the scroll target. Now always uses maxSearchResults as the target.
• FIXED: 120 s timeout when collecting 100+ venues. Bumped requestHandlerTimeoutSecs to 1200 (20 min), set maxRequestRetries: 0 (retries restart the page from scratch and lose all scroll progress), wrapped the scroll in try/catch with DOM salvage so partial results are always saved.
• NEW: 1000-venue ceiling. maxSearchResults raised from 200 to 1000. Internal soft time-budget (17.5 min) ensures page.evaluate() exits cleanly with whatever was collected before Node-side timeout fires.
• NEW: ISO 8601 review dates. review.date is now ISO 8601 UTC (2026-04-16T22:34:00.000Z); the human-readable string is preserved as review.dateFormatted.
• NEW: reviewsSince input parameter. ISO date string filters reviews to only those newer than the given date — perfect for incremental Mon/Wed/Fri pipelines.
• PERF: Scroll cadence tuned for 1k. scrollDelay 800 → 500 ms, maxScrollAttempts 500 → 1500, MAX_NO_NEW_STREAK 20 → 25.
• MEMORY: 2–4 GB allocation. minMemoryMbytes 512 → 2048, maxMemoryMbytes 2048 → 4096. Prevents the 95 %-pressure stalls observed at 1 GB during 100+ venue runs.
• VERIFIED: City of London + hair-salon @ maxResults=100 → 100 venues in 44 scrolls (~30 s, no timeout).

v0.1.20

• SIMPLIFIED: Merged 3 modes into 2 modes for cleaner UX
  • venue - Scrape specific business (unchanged)
  • search - Search by location (now includes "All Categories" option)
• IMPROVED: Category dropdown now clearly shows "All Categories (searches all 10, discovers 30-60+ venues)"
• UPDATED: Venue URL placeholder uses Dubai salon example
• REMOVED: search-all mode (legacy support maintained for backward compatibility)
• Categories are based on Fresha.com's official URL parameters

v0.1.18

• FIXED: Search mode now collects 90+ venues instead of only 4-6
• Implemented incremental scroll-and-collect strategy to handle DOM virtualization
• Confirmed: No proxy required - Fresha works perfectly without proxy (fastest & cheapest)
• Added memory limits (512MB min, 2GB max) for cost optimization

v0.1.17

• NEW: Search-All Mode - Multi-category search for maximum venue discovery
• Automatically searches all 10 service categories and deduplicates results
• Discovers 15-40+ unique venues instead of 4-10 per single search
• Added category breakdown in output showing discovery stats

v0.1.16

• Updated examples to use Dubai, UAE
• Improved documentation for search mode limitations
• Added two-step discovery workflow guide

v0.1.14

• Improved location extraction accuracy
• Better handling of Arabic text
• Enhanced error handling for search mode
• Comprehensive n8n integration documentation

v0.1.0

• Added search mode with PlaywrightCrawler
• Dual-mode architecture (venue + search)
• GCC region geolocation support
• Webhook integration for n8n

v0.0.1

• Initial release
• Venue scraping with CheerioCrawler
• Multiple output formats