During a yoga session, the most important thing is to be able to relax into the pose and concentrate on your body and breathing. That can be difficult or impossible to do if you are worried about slipping on the mat; you have to be able to focus on your balance. Along with a good yoga mat, a great yoga towel can help manage moisture and provide grip, so that your mind is free to concentrate on the pose itself.
Fortunately, we now have all kinds of advanced fabrics and materials that are designed to do just that, with more options every year. So here are our top picks for the best yoga towels in 2020.
Top 5 Yoga Towels – Comparison Chart
Yoga Towel Reviews
Gaiam Yoga Hand Towel
Gaiam is one of the best known brands in yoga, and their products have a fantastic reputation. This towel is designed specifically for Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and hot yoga, but it’s also a great choice for Pilates or any workout where you need to manage sweat and moisture.
At 20×30 inches, it’s small enough to tuck into any gym bag, and easy to take anywhere. It’s made of super absorbent microfiber, so it wicks away moisture and dries in half the time of a standard cotton towel. And it’s super soft to the touch, non-permeable, and hypo-allergenic, so it’s safe and comfortable even for people with sensitivities.
The Gaiam Yoga hand towel is available in multiple attractive color choices, and should be machine washed separately and laid flat to dry.
Pros
- Compact and easy to take anywhere
- Super absorbent and fast-drying
- Hypo-allergenic and non-permeable
- Soft to the touch
- Machine washable
Cons
- Can’t be tumble dried
Manduka eQua Yoga Mat Towel
The eQua Yoga Mat Towel from Manduka is designed to lay over your yoga mat, providing a layer of soft absorption that doesn’t impair grip. It’s fantastic for gyms and studios where you may be using shared mats, improving sanitation without taking up a lot of space in your bag. Although it measures 72 x 26.5 inches, it rolls down to just a 4 inch cylinder, so it’s easy to take anywhere.
This split microfiber yoga towel is soft and ultra-absorbent, drying faster than a traditional cotton towel. The sweat-activated grip resists slipping, so it’s a great choice for hot yoga, power yoga, or vinyasa, and the tightly woven fibers give it a soft, suede-like feel.
This Manduka eQua Yoga Mat Towel comes in a beautiful midnight blue color, with a subtle embossed logo in the corner.
Pros
- Rolls up into a compact cylinder so it’s easy to travel
- Designed to cover a yoga mat, providing improved sanitation and grip
- Soft and absorbent
- Quick-drying
- Machine washable
Cons
- Wash with dark colors, as it’s likely to bleed
- Split microfiber is “grabby,” which is great for traction and grip, but also likely to catch on rough skin and beard stubble
SHANDALI GoSweat Non-Slip Hot Yoga Towel
The SHANDALI GoSweat Non-Slip Hot Yoga Towel provides a stable, anti-slip surface that can be used on top of a yoga mat, or without a mat at all, so you can take your yoga practice anywhere with no sweat at all. This microfiber towel is non-slip and quick-drying, while being soft and smooth on the skin. The extra dense weave and durable construction will provide a light cushion and last for a long time.
The SHANDALI GoSweat Non-Slip Hot Yoga Towel comes in a choice of six beautiful solid colors, and also has matching hand towels available. It is backed by a one year 100% money-back warranty.
Pros
- Sized for standard yoga mats, it can be used with a mat or alone
- Super absorbent and quick drying
- Provides a non-slip surface
- Dense weave and quality construction
- Machine washable and dryer-safe
- Backed by a 100% warranty
Cons
- May be too thin for some
Youphoria Hot Yoga Towel
The Youphoria Hot Yoga Towel is a plush microfiber towel that absorbs up to seven times its weight in water, for a secure grip even during hot yoga and vinyasa. At 72 x 24 inches, it fits securely over a yoga mat, to provide a non-slip and skid-less surface and improve your stability on the mat during yoga practice.
Microfiber towels are free of silicone and latex, so they are secure even for people with sensitivities. These towels can be machine washed and tumble dried.
The Youphoria Hot Yoga Towel comes in nine colors, many with beautiful contrasting stitching, so they look great no matter what your style is.
Pros
- Super absorbent
- Lightweight and portable
- Sized for yoga mats
- Come in a wide range of colors with attractive contrasting stitching
- Machine washable and dryer-safe
Cons
- May bunch up on the mat, so it’s less suitable for flow-type yoga
Yogitoes Manduka Yoga Towel
This innovative yoga towel from Yogitoes has a soft microfiber surface, with tiny skid-less silicone nubs on the reverse side to keep it in place on a wide range of surfaces. This eco-friendly yoga towel is made from recycled plastic water bottles, and free of azo, lead, and heavy metal dyes.
These towels measure 68 x 24 inches, and weigh 1.25 pounds, so they are easy to take anywhere. The absorbent material prevents slipping and improves hygiene during yoga, and is machine washable.
The Yogitoes Manduka Yoga Towel comes in six gorgeous patterns that look beautiful in any setting.
Pros
- Super absorbent and quick drying
- Innovative silicone nubs prevent slipping or moving on the mat
- Can be used with a yoga mat or alone
- Sustainably made of recycled water bottles
- Dyes are free of toxins and harmful materials
- Machine washable and dryer-safe
Cons
- Dark colors may bleed in the wash
Best Yoga Towel Buying Guide
You probably don’t need an essay on how to buy a towel (LOL), but keep price and durability in mind. Also, beware that many polyester-nylon blends do not do well in warm washes, and are likely to be damaged in a dryer. Try to opt for eco-friendly towels, and remember that a thin towel is okay as long as it doesn’t slip too much, or doesn’t break too easily.
If you have been hunting for a meditation pillow, you will have noticed that the marketplace has a rather muted color palette and limited patterns. The towel marketplace is the exact opposite. It is loaded with some of the trendiest colors with a wide variety of colorful options to please everyone!
The hardest part is often picking a color because there are just so many to choose from and they are so bold and colorful that you will want to buy them all. This towel is easier to wash, but it is not as durable or strong as some others.
How to Care for a Microfiber Yoga Towel
The most common complaint with microfiber hot yoga towels is that they aren’t non-slip, or that they stop working over time. In most instances, this is the result of improper care of the yoga towel, and not of the towel itself. With some proper care and attention, you can get the best performance from a microfiber yoga towel and enjoy it for a long time.
How to Wash a Microfiber Yoga Towel
You should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, but as a rule, here’s how to wash a microfiber yoga towel.
- Machine wash in cold temperatures. You can use gentle to heavy machine cycles, depending on how dirty your towel is, as long as you don’t use hot water
- Never wash microfibers with any other type of fabric. Microfiber will attract and retain lint and fibers from other types of fabrics, and it will reduce the effectiveness of the microfiber.
- Never use fabric softeners or bleach
- Use a detergent without any built-in fabric softeners, perfumes, or soap residue. Softeners and residue can block the unique fiber structure of microfiber, making it less absorbent and reducing its grip. It’s best to use a detergent specifically designed for microfiber, that uses surfactants to clean instead of detergents
- Tumble dry without heat, or lay flat to dry
- As above, don’t use heat, dryer sheets, or fabric softeners
Following these care tips will allow your microfiber towel to retain its unique fiber structure, preserving its grip and durability.
How to Use a Microfiber Yoga Towel
A microfiber yoga towel has the best grip when it is already damp. It’s best to mist it with a spray bottle right before use, so that it has good grip and won’t slip from the moment you begin your practice.
Avoid rolling your towel up with your yoga mat after use. For hygiene purposes, it’s best for the towel and the mat to both dry as quickly as possible, so roll them up separately, and keep the microfiber away from touching other types of fabrics.
Following these steps will let you get the most enjoyment from your yoga towel, no matter which you choose.
Wrap Up of Our Yoga Towel Reviews
Our top pick for the best yoga towel of 2020 is the Yogitoes Manduka Yoga Towel. We love how the silicone nubs prevent the towel from moving on the mat or floor, while the towel surface absorbs moisture and provides great grip. Even better, these mats are eco-friendly and sustainable, so you can feel good about helping the environment while you use one of the best yoga towels on the market.