It’s always troublesome to deal with sweaty hands during hot yoga classes. Instead of concentrating on your yoga practice, you may try to reposition your yoga towel or wipe your hands several times.
Well, I do not enjoy those yoga classes as my mind would possibly be somewhere else. A slippery yoga towel might even cause injury during my practices. To enjoy the best of my yoga, I researched and tested pretty much all available hot yoga mat towels on the market.
Scroll down to read my reviews and find the best hot yoga towel choice for your yoga practice.
Hot Yoga Towel Comparison
| Size | Weight (pounds) | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manduka Equa Hot Yoga Towel | Standard: 72'' x 26.5'' Long: 79'' x 26.5'' | 1.69 | Amazon |
| Yogitoes Hot Yoga Towel | 68" x 24" | 1.97 | Amazon |
| Gaiam Grippy Yoga Mat Towels | 68" x 24" | 2.20 | Amazon |
| Apana Hot Yoga Mat Towel | 71" x 26" | 1.00 | Amazon |
| Kulae Hot Yoga Towel | 72" x 24" x 0.16" | 1.50 | Amazon |
| Dragonfly Hot Yoga Mat Towel | 68" x 24"x 0.1" | 0.63 | Amazon |
| Yoga Mate Perfect Yoga Towel | 68" x 24" | 0.73 | Amazon |
| Youphoria Yoga Towel | 72" x 24" | 0.85 | Amazon |
| Heathyoga Non-Slip Yoga Towel | 72" x 26" | 1.20 | Amazon |
| Intention Hot Yoga Towel | 68" x 26" | 0.95 | Amazon |
| Shandali Gosweat Hot Yoga Towel | 72.5" x 26" | 0.90 | Amazon |
Manduka Equa Hot Yoga Towel
This is a great towel if you feel you suffer sweaty hands in each and every one of your yoga practices. Even though Manduka Equa might be slightly slippery when the towel is dry, the solution is pretty simple. Try to drop some water on your hands when you begin your yoga practice.
Two sizes of the Manduka yoga towel are available so that you can choose the best size that is suitable for your mat. The weight is a bit heavier than the others in our best hot yoga mat towel comparison table. The sweat absorption is great and quick drying feature will offer you the ultimate hot yoga practice. This microfiber towel will also provide you remarkable hygiene. Cold wash is recommended and it can be washed with colors in your washing machine.
Pros:
Good absorption of sweat
Two different sizes available to fit your mat’s dimensions
Cons:
Slippery when your hands are dry
Yogitoes Hot Yoga Towel
Manduka Yoga Towels are great for yoga practices. Another good option for a hot yoga mat towel from Manduka is Yogitoes towel. Several colors and prints are available so you can choose your favorite color and design. Yogitoes yoga towel grips the mat with the silicone nubs on its surface. No repositioning is required during your practice. It’s an eco-friendly product and it is produced from recycled water bottles. You can also wash it in your washing machine with cold water and with colors. Although the price is relatively high, this is another great hot yoga mat towel option that you would use for several years. This is one of the skidless yoga towels.
Pros:
Very hygienic and absorbent
Skidless technology
Recycled from plastic bottles
Cons:
A bit heavier
Air dry may be required when washed
Yoga Mate Perfect Yoga Towel
Yoga Mate is one of the bestselling yoga mat towels on Amazon.com. Somewhat slippery for my hot yoga practices but the color selection is awesome and the towel is very soft. The sweat absorption is decent so overall a great choice among yoga practitioners.
Pros:
Large
Decent absorption of sweat
Cons:
Slippery
Youphoria Yoga Towel
Youphoria Yoga Towel is one of the bestsellers on Amazon. The price of this yoga mat towel is relatively inexpensive. The size of this yoga towel is very large. It can be washable in your machine so that no bacteria will remain. The sweat absorption is very good. The only thing I realized is that it can slip during your yoga practice. If you are a beginner in hot yoga, Youphoria Yoga Towel might be a good choice for you.
Pros:
Good sweat absorption
Cons:
Slips during yoga practice
Gaiam Hot Yoga Mat Towel
Gaiam Grippy Yoga Mat Towel is very absorbent and fits your mat but it is quite slippery for hot yoga practices. The top is microfiber and you can wash it in your washing machine (remember to wash it separately as, after several washes, the towel is likely to lose its shape). Gaiam yoga mat towel also appears to be the heaviest one in our towel comparison table.
Pros:
Microfiber
Cons:
Stretches after several washes
Rather slippery
Apana Hot Yoga Mat Towel
Apana hot yoga towel is very soft and fluffy. You will most likely enjoy the colors too. It is very lightweight so that you can carry it pretty much everywhere. The size of the towel is large and it will fit your mat. The towel moves a little bit during your yoga practice which might cause a lack of concentration.
Pros:
Lightweight
Cons:
No bottom grips
Slides a little bit during the practice
Kulae Hot Yoga Towel Reviews
This one is a hybrid mat – both a yoga mat and a yoga towel combo. It is eco-friendly and recyclable. You can use machine washing with colors. Indeed, most of the yogis use Kulae yoga towel as a mat (important: it might be too thin if you are a beginner in yoga and you might injure your joints). The Kulae yoga towel is a bit slippery for the hot yoga classes so make your own call as this might not be the best option without giving it a try.
Pros:
Mat and towel combo
Lightweight
Cons:
Somewhat slippery
Absorbs less moisture
Dragonfly Hot Yoga Mat Towel
Another eco-friendly hot yoga mat towel. It is PVC and latex free. The size of the yoga mat towel is large enough. The mat is washable. The material is microfiber. It gets a bit slippery during the hot yoga practices. Again, use your own judgment when going with this one as some reviewers find it not as suitable for yoga practice as others.
Pros:
Large
Cons:
Slippery
Heathyoga Non-Slip Yoga Towel
A very popular choice among buyers, the Heathtoga non-slip yoga towel has a dual grip option so that it will not slide on your mat and under your hands. The size of the towel is large enough so that it will fit almost all mats. After washing it several times, the towel may lose its grippy feature, so be careful about that.
Pros:
Dual grip surface
Cons:
May loose grippiness after several washes
Intention Hot Yoga Towel
I was a bit disappointed when I read the reviews for this yoga mat towel as the size of the towel is a bit smaller than the size in the description. So, make sure to double check that. It absorbs the moisture at first but after several washes, it may lose its slippery function.
Pros:
Microfiber
Cons:
Not very durable
Shrinks after several washes
Shandali Gosweat Hot Yoga Towel
Another very popular choice among hot yoga mat towels – Shandali is relatively cheaper than others. Many color options are available and the weight of this towel is only 0.9 pounds so that you can carry it everywhere.
Pros:
Lightweight
Great Absorption
Cons:
Very thin
How to Choose the Best Hot Yoga Mat Towel?
Size
- The size of the towel should fit your mat. Otherwise, you will have to reposition the towel during your hot yoga practice, which might cause lack of concentration.
- If your towel is smaller than your mat, your feet or hands might slip a lot during your practice as you might place your hands on your mat rather than the towel.
- The best yoga mat towel should always perfectly fit your mat.
Weight
If you carry your towel to your hot yoga classes (besides your home use), it may become a burden to carry a heavy weight towel to every class. I go to yoga classes 5 days per week so that I prefer light-weight yoga towels. I also do not use the mats of the yoga centers so that I carry both my mat and my hot yoga towel. If you are like me, you need to consider the weight of the towel and make sure it does not weigh too heavy.
Absorption
The absorption is one of the most important features that you should look out for. The towel should absorb the moisture quickly and thoroughly. Basically, you don’t want to carry a wet towel with you. Obviously, a wet towel will be heavier than the dry towel. The best hot yoga mat towel should have the extreme quality in terms of sweat absorption.
Grip
Remember I talked about your mental concentration during your yoga class? If you reposition your yoga towel during your hot yoga class on a regular basis, you will not be concentrating your asana. After the class, you will not feel relaxed as your mind was somewhere else rather than your practice.
Also, your feet and hands should not slip during the practice. The towel should grip your hands and your mat at the same time. Therefore, I recommend yoga towels with grip.
Material
As you will sweat a lot, you need to be considerate of your hygiene. The more quickly yoga towel absorbs the moisture, the more hygienic your towel will be. The microfiber hot yoga mat towels absorb the sweat more quickly and evaporate pretty fast.
You will be washing your yoga towel a lot. Hand washing will be time-consuming. Therefore, choose a hot yoga mat towel that can be washed in your washing machine. Some of the towels cannot be washed with the other clothes. Be careful about that too. I prefer towels that can be machine washed with colors.
Durability
Several options are available for durability of yoga towels (even though some will be more expensive than the others). If you buy an expensive mat and it is not durable, that will be the worst scenario, I guess. You do not want to buy a cheap yoga towel that will be useless after few washes or usage too. You need to consider how long and how often you will be using your yoga mat cover.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Hot Yoga Towels:
I always talk to my yogaholic friends before I buy my next yoga goodie. Here are my best suggestions to them:
1) What Is a Hot Yoga Towel?
During a hot yoga class, the temperature of the room is around 100 F. The room is really hot and you will be practicing advanced yoga poses like handstand, sirsasana, etc. You need to stay in balance to prevent the injuries.
To stay comfortable during hot yoga poses, you need a good nonslip yoga towel, which will absorb the sweat. The yoga mat towel should cover your mat so that you will not slip when you move from one asana to another asana.
2) Can You Use a Regular Towel for Hot Yoga?
The simple answer is No. The regular towels do not provide the same features that hot yoga towels offer. Hot yoga mat towels absorb the moisture more efficiently and quickly than regular towels. They have a silicone surface so they grip better than the ordinary towels do. The size of the yoga towels generally fit your mat.
3) How to Best Clean Hot Yoga Mat Towels?
Both hand washing and machine washing are OK. I prefer machine washing to save time. However, not all hot yoga towels can be washed with other clothes. I generally wash my yoga towel after every practice so that it will be costly to wash it separately where my water consumption will increase. If this is important to you, carefully read the washing instructions for your towel.
4) Do I Need a Yoga Mat Towel for Hot Yoga?
Yes, you do. Your mat will not absorb the moisture so that you need a yoga mat cover. This will make you slip a lot during your hot yoga practice. This might cause some injuries so that you can end up your yoga career in an undesired way. Remember, the room is extremely hot and you will be doing advanced yoga poses. Another reason that you need a hot yoga mat towel is that your mat will not be as hygienic as it will absorb the sweat. Cleaning your mat is harder than cleaning your towel as you cannot wash your mat in the washing machine. If you use a yoga towel, you can wash it whenever you would like to.
5) Can You Use Yoga Mat Towel on Carpet?
You can use the hot yoga towel on the carpet. If the carpet is thick and soft, you will be sinking though. This might cause some imbalance so that be careful when you move from one asana to another asana. Take a look at my other article about practicing yoga on a carpet here.
6) What is Yoga Mat and Towel Combo?
The yoga mat and towel combo is a yoga mat where the surface is covered by a towel. Those kinds of yoga mats absorb the moisture well during the yoga practice. I personally do not recommend them due to hygienic concerns. You will not be able to wash those mats in your washing machine and cleaning them with a yoga mat cleaner spray is not enough for a thorough clean.
7) What are the Benefits of a Towel for Hot Yoga?
You will sweat a lot. To stay balanced during your practice, you need a towel that will absorb the moisture. It is sometimes even hard to stay in balance during advanced yoga classes. In hot yoga, the temperature of the room is very high so that you will definitely need a good towel.
8) Best Yoga Towel for Sweaty Hands
Pretty much any of the yoga towels I reviewed above will work for you. You do not need to worry about your hands slipping during your practice as the yoga towel will always be under your hands. I do not recommend hand towels for sweaty hands as drying hands during your practice will distract your mind and will become a burden throughout your class or practice.
9) Bikram Yoga vs Hot Yoga? What is Bikram Yoga Towel?
Although some people use Bikram Yoga and Hot Yoga interchangeably, they are not exactly the same.
Bikram is the original hot yoga but the poses in Bikram yoga are different. Not all hot yoga classes are Bikram. Bikram is a set of 26 yoga poses and the class lasts for 90 minutes. The temperature of the room is very high just as in hot yoga. So basically, you can use hot yoga mat towels for Bikram yoga as well.
Conclusion
For hot yoga classes, you need hot yoga towels for several reasons. The first thing is that you will sweat a lot. To stay balanced during the yoga poses, you need a dry mat. But the yoga mats do not absorb the moisture enough. However, the yoga towels absorb the sweat so that your hands and feet will not slip. And hygiene… You can wash yoga towels in your washing machine so that no bacteria will be on your towel. Best yoga mat towel will bring you a great practice.
Before purchasing a yoga towel, be careful about the material, size, weight, durability, and grip features. Your towel should fit your mat. It should not be too heavy if you carry your towel everywhere. Durability is important considering the money spent on these towels. Most importantly, the grip should be perfect.
I personally recommend and use Yogitoes Hot Yoga Towel by Manduka. The price is relatively high for Manduka towel but I have been using it for several years without looking back now. The shape of the towel has not deformed yet despite the fact that I washed it several times.
If you would like to explore how Yogitoes Yoga Towel would help your yoga practice, watch this video:
If you are addicted to hot yoga, you certainly need the best yoga towel. So, make sure to carefully read user reviews and decide for the best one for you.
Please share your thoughts too. Which one is best yoga towel for hot yoga?
