Drenched in sweat after an invigorating vinyasa circulate? Concern not! A yoga mat towel may also help rework your yoga mat from a slick and doubtlessly hazardous floor to a safe, slip-free security pad. Whereas any towel can sop up moisture, yoga mat towels are made for the job—and the perfect choices might be skinny, light-weight, and made out of moisture-wicking or absorbent supplies that clear and dry rapidly. Bonus factors in the event that they function an on-slip backing or pockets to forestall it from shifting round and turning into a distraction that takes you away from the current second.
To bid farewell to slipping and sliding, we tapped the yoga professionals for his or her suggestions. These greatest yoga mat towels will allow you to skip the drip (or no less than, clear it up with ease) irrespective of your yoga routine or degree.
One of the best yoga mat towels, at a look:
- Finest general: Manduka, Yogitoes Yoga Mat Towel, $54
- Runner up: Ufit, Common Towel, $48
- Finest price range: Gaiam, Keep-Put Yoga Towel, $20
- Most sturdy: Lululemon, The Towel, $38
- Finest multipurpose: Nomadix, Unique Towel, $40
- Finest various: Polyte, Microfiber Towel (Set of 4), $17
What to Search for in a Yoga Mat Towel
Based on Maine-based yoga instructor Katherine Englishman and Bethany Lyons, founding father of Lyons Den Energy Yoga in New York Metropolis, there are some things to remember as you store on your splendid yoga mat towel.
First is the fabric. In the event you are likely to sweat when you observe, it’s greatest to pick out a cloth that wicks away sweat and dries rapidly. Artificial efficiency fibers, reminiscent of polyester and nylon, will match the invoice. You may also go for ones made out of microfiber, a cloth that’s sometimes made out of polyester and nylon and lauded for his or her moisture-absorbing skills.
You’ll additionally desire a light-weight yoga towel with a low profile to forestall it from bunching up as you observe, says Englishman. Conversely, keep away from utilizing a daily seaside or terry tub towel (“They are not meant for yoga,” she says). She recommends buying yoga-specific choices, that are often the scale of ordinary yoga mats. “You don’t need something too lengthy or too quick,” she explains. “You wish to guarantee that it frames your mat completely.”
Lastly, it’s your decision a non-slip yoga towel that has a grippy backing or nook pockets that safe it onto your mat. Whereas not mandatory, these options (together with a non-slip yoga mat, in fact) are splendid for many who need an choice that’s positive to remain in place.
Store the perfect yoga mat towels
Finest Total: Manduka, Yogitoes Yoga Mat Towel — $68.00
The Manduka Yogitoes Yoga Mat Towel comes extremely really useful by Englishman because of its sprawling measurement, absorbent materials, and non-slip backing. It’s made out of a poly-nylon mix to wick away sweat however dry rapidly so it received’t keep damp for very lengthy. Plus, it’s strengthened with grippy silicone dots that Englishman says hold it in place. “It’s actually skinny and low profile to forestall it from being distracting or bunching up,” she says, including that it’s “mushy,” too. A bonus: It is available in two sizes—commonplace and lengthy—and 22 colours and prints.
One tradeoff is that the producer warns that the yoga mat towel can stain lighter-colored yoga mats and garments so it’s essential to clean the towel earlier than use.
Materials: 30% recycled polyester, 60% polyester, 10% nylon
Accessible sizes: 71″ x 24″, 79″ x 24″
Accessible colours: 22
- Non-slip backing
- Sweat-wicking
- Fast-drying
- Two measurement choices
- 22 colours
- It may possibly stain yoga mat or garments if used with out washing
- Expensive
Runner up: Ufit, Common Towel — $48.00
“I’ve tried so many [yoga mat towels] and Ufit yoga towels are my absolute favourite,” says Lyons. “They’re the perfect towels I’ve discovered for not bunching and shifting.” What’s extra, the yoga mat towel is constructed out of microfiber to make it “tremendous absorbent.” Simply take into account that microfiber can entice hair, mud, grime, and lint, so chances are you’ll wish to wash it individually to forestall it from transferring grime and dirt to the remainder of your laundry.
Materials: 100% microfiber
Accessible sizes: 72 x 25″
Accessible colours: 13
- Made out of lint-free microfiber
- Fast-drying
- Sweat-wicking
- 13 colours
- No further options to safe it in place
- Solely is available in one measurement
Finest price range: Gaiam, Keep-Put Yoga Towel — $20.00
This yoga mat towel from Gaiam is probably the most inexpensive choice on this record, however that doesn’t make it any much less high quality; it shares lots of the similar options as our teacher-approved picks. For one, it’s made out of microfiber to make it absorbent and quick-drying, plus the 4 nook pockets assist safe it to your mat. It’s additionally the smallest featured yoga mat towel, so it’s going to work for many standard-size mats. Simply notice that this decide is simply accessible in two colours (blue and purple).
Materials: 88% polyester, 12% polyamide
Accessible sizes: 70″ x 26″
Accessible colours: 2
- Inexpensive
- Nook pockets for safe attachment
- Fast-drying
- Sweat-wicking
Most sturdy: Lululemon, The Towel — $38.00
I’ve owned my Lululemon yoga mat towel for a number of years, and it’s seen me by way of many a sweaty yoga class. Fabricated from 100-percent polyester, it wicks away my sweat—and I sweat loads—and it doesn’t slip and slide throughout observe, because of its low profile. It manages to remain put as I bend my physique into warrior poses and downward-facing canine. After a very tough exercise, the yoga towel is drenched, but it surely doesn’t soak by way of to the opposite facet or take in any odors together with my sweat. This yoga mat towel has additionally stood as much as many washes, proving it to be sturdy, too. (Win-win-win.) You’ll be able to store it in two basic neutrals: black and white.
Materials: 100% polyester
Accessible sizes: 71″ x 26″
Accessible colours: 2
- Sweat-wicking
- Fast-drying
- Simple to scrub
- Sturdy
- No further options to safe it in place
Finest multipurpose: Nomadix, Unique Towel — $40.00
If you’d like one thing to be used on and off the mat, the Nomadix Unique Towel will match the invoice. “It’s an all-purpose efficiency towel that you would be able to take with you in the event you’re touring, or perhaps on the seaside,” says Englishman. “I really like its versatility.”
Whereas it isn’t a yoga mat towel, per se, it does as effectively. It’s made out of a mix of polyester and nylon that works to wick away moisture, and it is available in a measurement that’s appropriate for many standard-size mats. Englishman notes that it isn’t designed with options to lend it endurance, which is a small value to pay for its versatility. Store it in dozens of enjoyable prints.
Materials: 80% polyester, 20% nylon
Accessible sizes: 72.5″ x 30″
Accessible colours: 26
- Versatile
- Sweat-wicking
- Fast-drying
- 26 colours
- No further options to safe it in place to your mat
Finest various: Polyte, Microfiber Towel (Set of 4) — $17.00
In the event you don’t wish to put money into a yoga mat towel, yoga instructor and aerialist Rebekah Cloud recommends utilizing a small towel to position beneath your palms. Go for one made out of microfiber, like this set of 4, that are sturdy sufficient to catch sweat drops whereas providing a safe grip. At lower than half the scale of normal yoga mat towels, its smaller measurement additionally makes it simpler to move to and from the yoga studio.
Materials: 100% microfiber
Accessible sizes: 30″ x 6″
Accessible colours: 6
- Journey-friendly
- Inexpensive
- Absorbent
- Is available in a set of 4
- It received’t forestall sweat from dripping onto your yoga mat
- Small measurement doesn’t cowl your complete mat
FAQS
What’s a yoga mat towel?
“A yoga mat towel is an adjunct that goes on high of your yoga mat that absorbs sweat and retains folks from slipping if they have an inclination to sweat loads they usually don’t have the grip and stability that they want,” says Englishman. Lyons echoes the sentiment, including that it’s additionally a “nice layer of safety from germs and micro organism, particularly when renting a mat.”
Can a yoga mat towel work as a yoga mat?
Not fairly. “The padding of a yoga mat supplies help on your joints and prevents discomfort or ache that may come from a tough floor,” says Englishman.
Plus, mats are loads much less slippery than towels on their very own. “A mat underneath the mat towel will at all times be higher in offering a safer and extra steady floor and the suitable grip for a vigorous observe,” says Lyons. That mentioned, you could possibly forgo utilizing a mat in the event you’re working towards yoga on a seaside or on a rubber mat ground the place you may have a bit extra buy beneath your toes.
How typically ought to I wash my yoga mat towel?
Ideally after each single use! “You sweat on it and drench it, similar to you sweat in and drench your clothes in a scorching yoga class,” says Lyons. “You by no means wish to re-use with out washing all these objects!”
