Swedish Massage is one of the most common types of massage therapy. It's often used to relax you, relieve stress and relieve pain. Swedish massage often involves rubbing, kneading, stroking and tapping your muscles. If you want to try Swedish massage, talk to your doctor first. While Shiatsu Massage is a form of Japanese bodywork based on concepts in traditional Chinese medicine such as qi meridians. Having been popularized in the twentieth century by Tokujiro Namikoshi, shiatsu derives from the older Japanese massage modality called anma.