Sparks are the unit of AI credit used across OpenChair's AI-powered features. One Spark equals one cent of AI compute. They are consumed when you use features that require language model processing — AI Concierge phone calls, AI-generated marketing copy, consultation form risk analysis, Style Match storefront recommendations, and coaching chatbot sessions.
Sparks are designed to make AI usage transparent. Rather than charging a flat fee for AI features or limiting them opaquely, Sparks show you exactly how much AI compute each action consumes and how much of your allocation remains.
Pro venues receive 500 Sparks per seat per month, pooled across the whole team. Included Sparks reset each billing period — unused Sparks do not carry over. A two-person Pro venue receives 1,000 Sparks per month; a five-person team receives 2,500. For most salons, the included allocation is sufficient to cover regular AI feature usage without needing to top up.
Free plan venues pay for Sparks as needed (PAYG) from their Wallet balance. There is no monthly allocation on the Free plan. Sparks can also be purchased top-up via Wallet on Pro if the included allocation is exceeded — useful for venues running high-volume AI Concierge sessions or heavy campaign generation.
The cost of individual Spark-consuming actions varies: a brief AI suggested reply consumes a small number of Sparks, while an AI Concierge phone call — which involves a full conversation and booking flow — consumes more. The Sparks dashboard in your account shows usage by feature type, so you can see exactly where your allocation is going.