Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Thompson
Hi Katie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Kendra, Chloe, and I (Katie) met while working at Wisp Lash Lounge from 2021-mid 2024. The three of us instantly clicked and have always enjoyed working together and loved our career as master lash artists. After we got the news that our previous employers were closing down the business, we realized we didn’t want our journey as co-workers to end so we made the exciting decision to open up our own lash extension studio here in Knoxville and upgrade our status of co-workers to co-owners! It’s such a rewarding feeling navigating this industry with two strong and talented friends by your side.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d say it’s been an easier transition than we expected it to be. Normally in this industry if you decide to make the change from working in a salon environment to being self-employed there’s going to be a lot of lines and boundaries that you don’t want to cross out of respect for your current employer and their business. We believe that because our previous job was closing down it honestly made the transition a lot smoother for us as far as making sure our clients knew where to find us. We’re very lucky and grateful things went so well during that transition because it’s already such a scary change and we wanted it to be as stress-free as possible! Additionally, we had gained so much experience from our previous job which we are also so grateful for. We had extensive training regularly during our employment there and two of us had management experience. It really prepared us and gave us the confidence to finally open up our own lash studio.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Arcana Lash Studio we offer a variety of services! We specialize in lash enhancement services such as lash extensions and lash lifting. We also offer brow services like waxing, tinting, and laminations. As three master lash artists, we take pride in being able to effectively install lash extensions safely without causing any damage to the natural lashes. We consult with each client that comes into our studio about what desired look the client wants and making sure we can achieve that with what their natural lashes allow. The beauty industry is exciting and fast paced, trends are always changing and we love that we can finally provide more advanced services to keep up with new trends, but of course we are always open and honest about what is and isn’t the best option for clients depending on their natural lashes. We believe that making the health and integrity of our clients’ natural lashes a priority is truly what separates us from other lash extension salons. There’s a lot of negativity associated with lash extensions and our goal is to end the stigma surrounding extensions. We’ve had some clients for over 3 years and their natural lashes are healthier now than they were before extensions and we take pride in that!
What’s next?
Since we are so new, we don’t have any big immediate changes coming right now. Of course our goal is to definitely grow and expand our business. We love the idea of eventually having a larger space for our studio, always building our clientele, and just overall maintaining a successful business together. Things are going so well for us now so hopefully it’s only up from here!
Pricing:
- Extensions range from $175-$240
- Lifts and Tints $75
- Brow Laminations range from $75-$100
- Waxing Services $20
- Tinting Services $20
Contact Info:
- Website: https://arcanalashstudio.com
- Instagram: @arcanalashstudio
- Facebook: Arcana Lash Studio
