Privacy Policy for The Luminous Lotus

Effective Date: 15 September 2026

Website Address: https://theluminouslotus.co.za

At The Luminous Lotus, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and process your personal information when you visit our website.

1. Who We Are

The Luminous Lotus is responsible for processing your personal information collected through our website.

2. Information We Collect and How We Use It

We collect and process personal information only for specific, explicitly defined, and lawful purposes:

  • Contact Form: When you reach out via our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and any details included in your message to respond to your inquiry directly.
  • Mailchimp Subscription: When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address (and name, if provided) to send you updates, promotional materials, or newsletters. You can opt out at any time using the “Unsubscribe” link in our emails.
  • Calendly Integration: When you schedule an appointment via our embedded Calendly tool, Calendly collects details such as your name, email address, and booking times to facilitate your appointment.

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses essential and operational cookies to ensure standard browsing functionality and to enable third-party embeds (such as Calendly). We do not store user accounts or allow public commenting on our site, so we do not use login or comment-tracking cookies. You can manage or disable cookies via your web browser settings at any time.

4. Embedded Content & Third-Party Services

Our website incorporates services operated by third-party providers:

  • Calendly: Embedded to facilitate online bookings.
  • Mailchimp: Used to store subscriber lists and deliver email communications.

These third-party platforms act as Operators on our behalf or independent Operators, handling your data according to their own privacy policies and security measures. When interacting with these embeds, they may collect your IP address, set cookies, or monitor your interaction with their service.

5. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Because we utilize third-party services like Mailchimp and Calendly, your personal information may be transferred to and stored on servers located outside South Africa. We ensure these service providers maintain data protection standards equivalent to POPIA requirements.

6. How Long We Retain Your Data

  • Contact Form Submissions: Retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill your request or maintain standard business communication history.
  • Newsletter Subscriptions: Retained for as long as you remain subscribed to our mailing list.
  • Booking Data: Retained in accordance with business accounting, administrative, and legal obligations.

7. Your Data Protection Rights under POPIA

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

  • Access Your Information: Request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and request a record of that data.
  • Request Correction or Deletion: Request the correction, updating, or deletion of inaccurate, irrelevant, out-of-date, or incomplete personal information.
  • Object to Processing: Object on reasonable grounds to the processing of your personal information, or withdraw consent previously given for direct marketing.
  • Lodge a Complaint: Contact the South African Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been infringed.

Information Regulator (South Africa):

8. Updates to This Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.