The 5 Best Yoga Towels Every Yogi Will Envy You For

**Below, you'll find our hand-tested reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

Why use a yoga towel?​

1. They're absorbent.​

A yoga mat towel is a great addition to your workout gear collection. The top reason, especially if you’re a hot yoga practitioner, is that they absorb sweat.

Do you know that if you weighed yourself before and after a yoga class, you’d often find that you weigh less afterward? It's possible to lose up to 1.5 liters of water during one hot yoga class.

Much of those 1.5 liters of sweat will wind up on your yoga mat. That's a problem because a wet yoga mat is a slippery yoga mat, and if you're like me, you don't want to face-plant during downward dog.

Using an absorbent yoga towel can take some anxiety out of your hot yoga class because with a good one, you'll know there’s less chance of slipping and sliding on your mat.​

2: They give you a better grip.​

Yoga towels are engineered to allow for more grip than a pad or mat alone. They’re typically made of microfiber materials that become even more ‘grippy’ as they get wet.

Moreover, unlike a beach towel, they’re designed to stay in place. Some yoga towels come with sleeves or bands that help them to attach to the yoga mat to stay put during an entire vigorous workout.

Others have rubber nubs on their undersides that help to keep them in place. All this adds up to increased safety and stability during your workout.​

3: They protect against germs.​

Fitness facilities' practices of cleaning yoga mats vary widely. Since the rise of popularity in yoga, doctors have seen a spike in the number of patients suffering from contagious conditions like athlete’s foot and plantar warts.

If you’re using a yoga mat provided by the studio or gym, putting your yoga towel over that mat can help to ensure proper hygiene.

There are products like yoga mat wipes and hand and foot mitts that you can wear, but it makes sense to simplify the process by bringing a clean yoga towel with you when you're using a shared mat.

Using yoga towels is also an excellent way to keep your own mats clean and in good condition.​

Yoga towels versus regular towels​

Regular towels are poorly suited to yoga class. Towels made for yoga have non-skid surfaces on both sides; this provides needed stability and safety. Bath or beach towels will bunch up and slide around. Who wants to waste precious class time adjusting and readjusting their towel?

Yoga towels are sized to fit over mats precisely and to stay in place. Some types feature small rubber grips on one side to give added skid proofing.

They also are much better at absorbing sweat than bath towels, which is particularly appreciated by Bikram and hot yoga practitioners. They also provide more cushioning than ordinary towels.​

How to use a yoga towel​

All you have to do is place the towel on your mat. You want it to cover the mat only and not spill over the edges; this allows you to have precision with your yoga positioning.

Some yogis recommend sprinkling water on the towel before starting to exercise for improved grip. After class, just throw your towel into the washing machine and then tumble or air dry.​

What makes one yoga towel different from another?

The best yoga towels have their own patented materials that make the feel, grip and absorbency of their towels stand out from their competitors.

Others provide a means of attaching their towels to pads and mats that other towels simply don't have. Thicknesses, sizes and color options also vary.

Not just for Yoga

You don’t have to save your yoga towel for yoga class only. Since they’re exceptionally absorbent, they’re ideal companions for any fitness class.

They also dry quickly, so you’re not left with heavy, soggy fabric when you're done working out.

Some folks even use their towels in a pinch when a mat or pad isn’t available since yoga towels provide softness as well as grip and stability.

Where to buy

Most yoga studios or gyms that offer yoga classes sell yoga towels. You can also find them online and at sporting goods stores.

These towels are available in a broad spectrum of colors, thicknesses and fabric blends. The cost for the best yoga towels ranges from about $20 to $60.

I actually prefer to buy everything on Amazon - because...well...it is so easy.​

The best five yoga towels

Ok now let's have a look at the yoga towels I liked best during my test.

**Below, you'll find our hand-tested reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

The best of the best yoga towels

I wish I could say my choice of best yoga towel was a little-known, dirt-cheap underdog. However, once you get past the sticker shock, there really are no drawbacks to Yogitoes.

They come in a large selection of attractive colors and prints, they have nubs on the undersides to make sure they stay in place no matter what surface you have them on, and they're highly absorbent.

Throw in the fact that each of these towels contains the equivalent of eight recycled plastic bottles, and the decision is easy.

The only minus with Yogitoes is you have to watch out for color bleeding the first few times you wash them, and that's only due to the safety of the dyes they contain.

I think it's worth it to spend more for a high-quality towel like Yogitoes; you can be confident your towel won't budge or bunch during your yoga routine.

So, what do you think? What is your favorite yoga towel? Any recommendations? Let us know in the comments!​