The Knot Stop

What a wonderful place. As soon as you walk through the door you can feel the calming energy. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. This was my very first visit for a facial but, it won’t be the last. I have found my go to relaxation place. Thank you Knot Stop for being so welcoming.

I received a complimentary facial here and was very pleased with the products and service. I will be coming here again for more treatments. The location is great and although tucked backed off the main street it is well sign posted so easy to find.

I have a membership to the knot stop and it is perfect for my monthly massage. I usually get a back on track massage but have also gotten a relaxation one as well. Michelle is hands down my favorite therapist i’ve seen. She really listens to what you are needing work. The pricing is very fair and totally worth the membership. I love their little relaxation area, although I never have to wait long enough to have time to make some tea. Now that is definitely not a bad thing! There was only once that I booked a massage with someone other than Michelle and only because it was last minute and she wasn’t available at the time I wanted, but next time I’ll just wait for her. I have also never had any billing issues, and the front desk people are always very helpful!

The spa is tucked away near the movie theater in the Aliso Viejo Town Center. Not easy to find. The front desk is friendly and the décor is beautiful. They’ve got a selection of magazines in the waiting area with fruit infused water and teas.
I’ve seen several therapists and facialists here and my favorite is Ani. She is phenomenal! I’ve seen her for facials and massages. She’s excellent at both! For massage, she truly understood what was going on with my body and was able to release tension and knots no one else could before. Always sleep like a baby after a massage with her.
Facials is where she truly shines though. As funny as it sounds, her wonderful hands feel like their dancing on my face! So relaxing! She explained and educated me about my skin. I had some breakout activity on the right side of my face and she suggested I change my pillow cases more often. I didn’t think it would help but figured I’d give it a shot. Boom! Breakouts are gone! She really knows her stuff! She’s not pushy and truly wants what’s best for me and my skin.
When you go to the Knotstop, ask for Ani. You won’t regret it!

I am not a member but I go here for massages when I can. It’s clean, the staff is pleasant and helpful and I never wait. I have had some good masseuses her but the best I’ve ever had is Eileen. Great job!!!

Relaxing atmosphere, great therapists + esthies — I’ve had multiple massages + facials and I’ve yet to be disappointed.

ive had two massages here with both Mary and Ani and both were pure BLISS. 2 very well rounded and knowledgeable therapists. looking forward to book my 1^st facial here

I’ve been coming here for a few years and have been nothing but happy with my services. All the massage therapists that I have tried have been great, and the front desk always is welcoming and helps me find the best therapist for my needs if my regular therapist is not available.

I’ve been a member for a few years now. I have never had any issues with billing, the front desk is always helpful and professional. Lately, I’ve been seeing Ani for both my facials and massages. She is AWESOME. Really good knowledge of the products she is using and such a relaxing facial with real results. I’ve seen both Michele and Susan for massages and both are fantastic.

If you are in need for a relaxing massage or fantastic facial you have to try the Knot Stop!!!

This is a top notch business with great credibility. I had a problem with my billing and the manager went out of her way to help. Highly recommended.

Fantastic massages and beautiful atmosphere. I love this place and look forward to my next visit!

I have been to this place in the past every years and the massage service have degraded.
Since the therapist are independent the quality will be hit and miss. Very random quality.
Went for 90 service and told where I need work on and I can out just as sore as I came in.
Thai massage work far better for me for less cost in less time. In addition I am not left with tons of oil on me where I have to go home and shower.
I find the far less expensive again massage place did farebeater job for less money. Like this place in LA that charged $ 25 for one hour. The person was very skilled and hit all the knots on 1^st try.

I have come here for massages about 3 or 4 times and it has been very good. This time was spectacular! I got Ilene:) It was a muscle relief therapy massage and she was outstanding! Thank You Ilene!!! I will for sure more often because of her.

I’ve been a member at the spa for over 3 years now. The entire staff is friendly, professional & knowledgable. My preferred skin biologist is Lida. Lida’s expertise surpasses every esthetician I’ve ever been to. I love that the staff doesn’t try to pressure you into buying their products either. This spa does use organic products which have truly improved my skin. The location is in the beautiful Aliso Town Center.

I went back to the Knot Stop to give it another try after I was contacted by the manager regarding my previous experience. I saw Ani for my lip wax; she was recommended by both the manager and also a former employee.
Totally night and day compared to my last visit. Ani was skilled, professional, and beyond friendly. She was also super quick which was an added bonus. The manager, Cat, also touched base with me in person to see how everything went.
I will definitely be back for other services although I probably wouldn’t see anyone but Ani.

Booked/​paid for 2 90 minute massages on Father’s Day… my therapist cut my massage short 10 minutes and gave a weak apology. My husband’s therapist did a 60 minute massage and claimed «computer error». The front desk stood by my claims and gave me credits, but seemed like 2 pretty big errors.

Update:
1÷17÷2015
Hi David,
I am glad you took the time to respond even if your response was full of errors, that is a good first step:
1. You have searched your database however it seems like your database is not exhaustive of all your clients. This is your first excuse…
2. San Francisco is only an hour flight, and many people in this day and age use airplanes to travel. So yes I lived in SF at the time, I live in Beverly Hills now, and I lived in San Juan Capistrano at the time of this incident. Please don’t become a lawyer…
3. I apologize for not knowing the gentleman’s name but if you READ (something I hope you can do), you will see that I wrote «I wanna say his name was Vince but im not 100%». Invalid argument, making you look less credible…
4. I don’t understand why this deserves its own number because it goes against your first argument that nobody with the name of Simone has come to your establishment yet someone, ME!!!, came in 4 Years ago and saw a MALE therapist.
I hope you and everyone can see how unprofessional the response you gave to my Unilocal review was. It is just the beginning of a New Year so now is a great time to change your attitude.
Sincerely,
The Simone that is obviously reviewing another business that isn’t next to the Aliso Movie Theater that I spent much of my childhood at.

UPDATE: 2/27/2015******The owner David Shevel sued me for posting my experience on Unilocal.The first thing the judge said to him was «Isn’t this just free speech?» Of course David lost his case; I received the court’s decision today. He had sued me for $ 5,000 for my review posted below. I was fortunate to be able to appear; if you are sued. and don’t want to lose $ and time from work, or are ill, he can win by «default» if you aren’t in court. I think it’s really important to know that even after I was sued for something so wrong, at court I was willing to meet with David, and a professional mediator, to attempt to resolve this issue without it going before a judge. He REFUSED, rudely, when the mediator asked him resulting in even more negative representations by him and his business. I told the mediator I was willing to attempt mediation; I was still open to hearing his side even though I had been treated so unfairly, still thinking, «Well, maybe I missed something.» In addition to the original problem of unauthorized charges, he accepted my payment for the monthly membership and cancelled my membership, stealing money, and the benefits I had based on the contract. I am planning on suing him for Breech of Contract, Fraud and Harassment. If you see if a sheriff there, there is a good chance he is serving Mr. Shevel. I hope others will benefit from reading my review of the knot stop******
This business makes unauthorized charges to debit cards. In my contract it specifically states that I authorize a CREDIT card charge. A picture of the contract proving this is below, and was evidence in the court case David filed against me and LOST.
Although legally, they have no right to charge a debit card, they did, for the monthly membership. Because of this, my bank charged a fee since it was a debit and not a credit card transaction. David and I spoke this am as I was waiting in a room for a yoga class to begin, with 30 other people. It was not a conversation, but a rant by this man. He went on and on about how their system works, it goes through in the middle of the night, blah, blah, blah. I said, «Excuse me, please let me know when I can talk» since he never even took a breath and just blabbered on and on. He said, «Ok» I then explained, «The legal contract I signed was for a CREDIT card transaction, not a debit card. It clearly states on the contract…» which he then interrupted and read me back the number of the card ignoring the fact that their contract clearly states «CREDIT CARD» not a debit card. I then said, «Excuse me again, but I didn’t contact you to be yelled at and listen to a monologue. I called first rather than just writing about it on Unilocal in the hope of resolving…» He then EXPLODED with «Don’t you DARE threaten me with Unilocal». By this time people in my class were looking at me because he was yelling so loud they could hear him. He was actually making my ear hurt so I just put him on speaker phone. The entire class hears him yelling. One person said, «It sounds like he is foaming at the mouth and spitting!» After about another minute of so of him ranting like a mad man, I decided this was pointless. The last words we heard him say were «If you are STUPID enough to…’ i just ended the call. The 30 people were shocked that any business «owner» would treat their customers this way. They all wanted to know the name of the business. so they could AVOID them! I have 30 witnesses to the abusive and threatening conversation.
As I was writing this review I received an email from David. Obviously, he has problems with women saying no to him. Here is an excerpt from the email again, threatening me, a customer, calling me «inane» and «stupid» in reference to me posting my experience on Unilocal.This threat against a customer just confirms the fact that this business is poorly run, the owner has no problem solving skills whatsoever, verbally attacks and threatens when a customer complains, and that this business is to be avoided. Since David threatens customers who mention the « Unilocal» word… I am certain there are many other people who had horrible experiences but were not willing to deal with such a mentally unstable business owner and simply walked away, or filed charges with the appropriate regulatory agencies.
. «This is of course your prerogative to do, but in the event that you DO in fact do so, we will of course respond with your name and address and show to the world just how inane you are by giving us the incorrect credit card number and then objecting to the fact that this card was debited. This course of conduct on your part indicates sheer stupidity and an inability to accept the fact that this whole set of circumstances was brought about by your own ineptitude.»
David Shevel
The Knotstop,
26 711 ALiso Creek Rd #100A,
Tel: (949) 421‑5668
Posting personal information, as threatened by David, is a clear violation of Unilocal
Policies.

I was having some serious neck and upper shoulder pain and needed to go somewhere I wouldn’t be breaking the bank. The knot stop is super close to my house and the first time special is $ 59. So I made an appt. and had a back and neck therapy massage with Susan.
When I got there, I was greeted warmly and ushered to the waiting area. It was very serene and spa-​like. Which I loved. I don’t like going to independent spa locations that don’t have great atmosphere. I am a big Burke Williams fan, so I compare. Ha! The room I was directed to was dark, quiet and had soft spa music playing. Love it!
My massage was amazing and Susan was awesome. She used some essential oil on my trouble spot on my neck to help me and throughout the day it totally did. I added $ 5 to have an aromatherapy oil and some hot stones which was great too. If I can work a membership into my fall budget I am coming here! Great experience!