Aside from all the shady points with this SP[?], I have seen that some SPs require a deposit for longer appointments [ie, 12 hours], which seems perfectly reasonable, especially since, if the client bails, she would be out a couple grand and potentially a bunch of other business that could be booked at that time.
Deposit for contact, no way.
Deposit for a short visit – I'd look her up and see what other people have thought of the SP.