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Jan 2012  |  By Liz Logan  |  Comments

Better or Bust: Yoga Towels

For all the generosity of spirit that it preaches, yoga can be hard on your wallet.

And hot yoga creates a sweaty mess, so you need a substantial cache of clothes and towels if you’re not doing laundry daily. Startled by the high prices, we decided to take some yoga towels for a test drive.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, these towels are sized to fit regular yoga mats, 24 by 68 inches. Prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.

Better

Yogitoes Skidless Premium Mat-Size Yoga Towel by Yogitoes
Price: $64-$69 ($46-$64 on amazon.com)
Where to buy: yogitoes.com
Available in extra long: Yes
Why it’s better: Widely considered the standard for hot yoga, and for good reason. The towel, available in all kinds of fun colors, is relatively thin and lightweight, and silicon nubs on the bottom provide a great grip. If you’re willing to pay the full price on their website, their altruism collection gives back to charitable organizations.

Gaiam Grippy Yoga Towel
Price: $35 ($26 on amazon.com)
Where to buy: gaiam.com
Available in extra long: No
Why it’s better: Best bang for your buck. This substantially thick towel’s PVC mesh-like nonslip backing ensures that the towel won’t move while you’re working out. Only downside of down-dogging on this? Color coordination—oddly enough, this towel only comes in brown.

 

Jade Microfiber Yoga Towel
$35 ($31 on amazon.com) (towel is 24 by 72 inches, a little longer than your standard size)
Where to buy: jadeyoga.com
Available in extra long: No
Why it’s better: A soft, luxurious and lightweight towel that does a good job of sticking to your mat, thanks to polyester microfiber. Jade will provide one month's worth of clean drinking water for one person in the developing world for every towel sold on their website. Also excellent: The Jade Harmony Professional Yoga Mat.

 

Busts

Manduka eQua Mat Towel
Price: $42 ($38-$62 on amazon.com)
Where to buy: manduka.com
Available in extra long: Yes
Why it’s a bust: While we love Manduka’s supportive and durable yoga mats (check out the PROlite), this towel lacks a sticky or grippy element; there’s just not enough traction for yoga that involves a lot of sweat. If you’re ordering from Manduka, definitely go for their microfiber towel specifically for hot yoga.

 

Gaiam Thirsty Yoga Towel
Price: $26 ($20 on amazon.com), 72 by 26.5 inches (a little longer and thinner than most)
Where to buy: gaiam.com
Available in extra long: No
Why it’s a bust: Just a regular, thin towel—you’ll be slipping all over the place if you’re doing hot yoga.

Many of these towels are available at local yoga studios. For a list of local yoga studios, visit makeitbetter.net/the-better-list