Therapeutic Massage
The foundation. Clinically directed soft-tissue work for chronic pain, postural strain, headaches, and the everyday wear of repetitive work. Pressure and pacing are set by the tissue, not a script.
Licensed Massage Therapy · Medically Focused
Bodywork that treats the cause, not just the ache.
Gifted Hands is a clinically minded massage practice. Every session is built around an assessment of how you actually move and where your tissue is restricted — then a treatment plan designed to change it.
Licensed Massage Therapist
Post-surgical & lymphatic care
Referral-friendly & provider-coordinated
“I don’t guess. I assess, treat, and re-check — so you can feel the difference before you leave the table.”
Mikayla · Owner & Therapist
60–120
minute treatment sessions, with time built in for assessment
Therapeutic Massage
Deep Tissue
Myofascial Release
Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Oncology & Lymphedema
Burn & Scar Recovery
The Approach
Treatment, not a menu item.
Relaxation is a welcome side effect — but it isn’t the goal. The goal is measurable change in how you move and how you feel, session over session.
Intake & assessment
We start with your history, your imaging or provider notes if you have them, and a hands-on look at range of motion and tissue quality. What hurts is often not where the problem started.
Targeted treatment
Modalities are chosen to fit the finding — myofascial release for restriction, deep tissue for chronic tension, lymphatic drainage for swelling and post-operative recovery. Often several within one session.
Re-check & home plan
We re-test what we measured at the start, so progress is objective. You leave with specific stretches or self-care to hold the gains between visits.
Coordinated care
Working with a physician, surgeon, physical therapist, or chiropractor? Notes and progress can be shared with your written consent so everyone is treating the same plan.
Services
Modalities, matched to the finding.
Most sessions blend more than one of these. If you aren’t sure what you need, request an appointment and describe what’s going on — that’s what the assessment is for.
Deep Tissue
Slow, specific pressure into the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to break up long-standing adhesion and guarding. Firm, but never a pain contest — you stay in control of depth.
Myofascial Release
Sustained, low-load pressure that lets restricted fascia lengthen and rehydrate. Especially useful for scar tissue, old injuries, and pain that moves around or doesn’t respond to stretching.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Very light, rhythmic, directional technique that encourages lymph to move through healthy channels. Used for post-operative swelling, lymphedema management, and fluid retention. Nothing about it is deep or forceful — the pressure is closer to a brush than a massage.
Oncology Support & Lymphedema Care
Gentle, carefully adapted work for people going through cancer treatment or living with its after-effects — lymphedema in particular. Pressure, positioning, and session length are all modified around your treatment schedule and how you’re feeling that week.
Burn, Scar & Post-Surgical Recovery
Mature burn scars and surgical sites can tether the tissue around them and quietly steal range of motion. Staged treatment — lymphatic work early, then progressive scar and fascial mobilization as the tissue tolerates it, always behind your surgeon’s clearance.
Auto Accident & Injury Recovery
Whiplash and soft-tissue injuries from a collision often feel manageable for a week and then settle in for months. Treatment focuses on the guarding and fascial restriction that imaging tends to miss, alongside whatever your physician or chiropractor has already started. Documentation of visits and progress is available for your provider or attorney on request.
Sessions are available in 60, 90, and 120 minutes; rates are confirmed when you book. Some situations — recent surgery, active infection, a history of blood clots, certain cardiac or kidney conditions, and active cancer treatment — need clearance from your physician before lymphatic or deep work begins. Mention anything relevant in your request and it will be worked out before your first visit.
Who I Help
Common reasons people come in.
If your situation isn’t on this list, it’s still worth asking. Much of this work is about finding the restriction that everything else is compensating for.
Car accident & whiplash injuries
Lymphedema, including after cancer treatment
Severe burn & graft scar recovery
Side effects of cancer treatment
Post-operative swelling & recovery
Chronic neck, back & hip pain
Scar tissue & adhesion
Tension headaches & jaw pain
Sciatic & nerve-related discomfort
Limited range of motion & stiffness
Repetitive strain from desk or trade work
Plateaus after physical therapy
About
Meet Mikayla
Mikayla is a licensed massage therapist and the owner of Gifted Hands Massage Therapy, where she practices medically oriented bodywork rather than spa service.
She trained at the Louisiana Institute of Massage Therapy, and she has spent her career at the more complicated end of this profession. Her clients have included people recovering from serious car accidents, people managing lymphedema during and after cancer treatment, and people rebuilding range of motion after severe burns — cases where the wrong pressure in the wrong place sets someone back, and the right work makes a difference they can measure.
That experience shapes how she practices. Assessment comes first, technique is chosen to match what she finds, and progress gets re-checked every visit. She has also taught this work: she held a massage therapy instructor license in Texas and served on the board of directors for the Massage Therapy Program at Lamar State College.
Licensed Massage Therapist — license MT-28964.
Louisiana Institute of Massage Therapy — massage therapy training.
Former massage therapy instructor — held an instructor license in Texas.
Board of Directors — Massage Therapy Program, Lamar State College.
Contact
Request an appointment.
Tell me a little about what’s going on and when you’re generally available. You’ll get a reply within one business day to confirm a time.
Scheduling
By appointment, arranged directly with Mikayla. Send the form and she’ll reply within one business day with times that work.
Licensed
Licensed Massage Therapist
License MT-28964
Before your first visit
- Bring any imaging, surgical notes, or a provider referral if you have them — they help shape the first session.
- If you’ve had recent surgery or are in active cancer treatment, we’ll confirm physician clearance before starting.
- Wear or bring comfortable clothing you can move in for the assessment portion.
Appointment request
This goes straight to Mikayla’s inbox. Nothing is booked until she confirms with you.
Request sent
Thank you — your request is with Mikayla and she’ll be in touch within one business day to confirm a time.
If it’s urgent, email mikayla@giftedhandsmt.com directly.