Today we’d like to introduce you to Chenoa And Matthew Brown.
Hi Chenoa and Matthew, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Like many people after COVID, we were faced with many questions with one of them being, “are we still in the right place in life?” We wanted a better work-life balance more suited for us both doing something that we enjoy.
For Matthew, he loved the art of tattoos and has always been a passion for him. He has had the benefit of having friends in the tattoo industry for many years with a few of them becoming mentors for him when he made the move from being a licensed cosmetologist. One of his biggest supports and mentors since his transition to tattooing is Christopher Blaylock of Mystikos in Murphy, NC who visits Black Lotus Tattoo and Massage regularly as a guest artist. Matthew has been tattooing since 2023.
For Chenoa, she always had the desire to help others in some way, and for years, she was a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Chenoa decided to attend Kneaded Energy School of Massage in Greensboro, NC after taking a Reiki class at LovingKindnessBodyworks in Clemmons, NC and speaking with an old high school friend who had been a licensed massage and bodywork therapist for many years. It was a field that allowed her to continue helping others in a different way and offered the flexibility for a life she wanted to have. Chenoa has been a licensed massage and bodywork therapist (LMBT) since 2023 and is a part-time instructor at Kneaded Energy School of Massage teaching Professional Development and Ethical Foundations.
When the tattoo shop Matthew was working in moved locations to another city, he felt this was the right opportunity to open his own shop and Chenoa felt experienced and confident enough to join this new adventure of starting a small business of offering tattoos and massage in one location-in their hometown of Lexington, NC. March 22 was the grand opening of Black Lotus Tattoo and Massage, LLC.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We opened our business in March 2025 so we are still learning the road as we go. Like any other business, we have seen growing pains but the transition has not been as challenging as we first imagined. We both have worked in industries that required discipline, knowledge, skills, patience, and networking which have been very valuable to us in this journey. We owe so much gratitude to other small business owners who have given us so much support and encouragement along the way. We have truly been creating a community of folks where it’s support over competition.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Matthew is the tattoo artist and his preferred style is American Traditional with its bold outlines and solid color packing. What he most enjoys is being a part of the roots of using a traditional style that has made tattooing what it is today. Matthew also enjoys doing fun, colorful cartoon characters.
As a massage therapist, Chenoa enjoys helping her clients find stress-relief and relaxation through Swedish massage and Reiki, a Japanese energy healing modality that both Matthew and Chenoa have trained in at Kinetic Roots Wellness in High Point, NC. There are so many opportunities to learn effective techniques in massage and Chenoa’s desire to learn more helps her to work with each client toward their wellness goals.
What sets our shop apart from others is obviously combining tattoos with offering massage. But, our backgrounds in other industries have also helped to set us apart with working with diverse groups of people. Besides working as a substance abuse counselor, Chenoa also served in the US Navy until she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis which ended her military career. Matthew attended Rudy & Kelly, a Paul Mitchell partner school, in Virginia Beach while Chenoa served.
Living in a location with such a diverse population of people from all over the world allowed us to see different cultures and lifestyles that we otherwise would not have experienced in our hometown. We are able to offer more compassion and understanding to our clients when they come in and many of them express their appreciation for allowing them the space to be who they are regardless of their beliefs, lifestyles, etc. We are most proud of the ability to create an environment that is safe and comfortable for those from all walks of life. We are also very proud of the amount of clients we’ve received from word-of-mouth. There’s no better compliment to the work that we do than returning clients and those who refer our business.
Any big plans?
At this time, we just want to continue learning and growing in our respective professions through continuing education, mentorship, and workshop opportunities. We both are looking forward to continuing our next level of training in Reiki which is the Reiki Master level. Chenoa is scheduled to attend training in Ashiatsu in Asheville in the coming weeks.
We would love to grow our business to include other artists and therapists. Until then, we are able to offer guest spots to other experienced artists and new artists trying to develop their artistry in the tattoo industry like Jadyn McClain of Shero Beauty in Clemmons, NC and Brandi Martin.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blacklotustattooandmassage.glossgenius.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574046184602
