Where to Buy High-Quality Bath Towels Online: What to Look For
A good bath towel feels soft, soaks up water without much rubbing, and lasts through years of washing. Online, though, you can't pick one up and feel it.
This guide covers what makes a high quality bath towel, how to read a listing, where to shop, and how to care for towels at home. Plus one more towel worth having in your shower.
What makes a high quality bath towel?
Most of what you feel comes down to fiber, yarn and weave. Cotton is the classic: a University of Nebraska extension guide on choosing towels notes that "cotton is commonly used," and that "long fibers are especially desirable."
Pima cotton is one example. U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers say it's preferred "because it is known to produce longer, stronger, finer, and more uniform fibers." Textile researchers found loops made from "finer count, low twist, high staple length, combed yarn" absorb water quickly.
What to look for
- Fiber: cotton, ideally "long-staple" or "combed."
- Loops: loops "increase the surface area and determine the rate and amount of water absorption." Double loops "tend to be more absorbent, though not necessarily stronger." Either way, "the loops should be dense, even."
- Weight (GSM): grams per square meter. Water-holding capacity "increases with increasing weft density, fabric areal density and mean pile length," so heavier, denser towels hold more.
- Construction: "The underweave of a terry towel is its strength and backbone." "Strong selvages mean durability." And "you can pluck at the loops gently without dislodging them."
Softness and thickness aren't the same thing. The University of Nebraska guide links soft towels to "fine-spun yarn," and notes good towels "may feel soft, medium soft, or rough and hard," so "it is important to consider the preference of the user." Terry towels also "shrink somewhat during the first few times they are washed."
How to read an online towel listing
Online, the listing does the job your hands would do in a store. Under rules enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, most textile products must list "the fiber content, country of origin and identity of the manufacturer or another business responsible."
Internet listings also need "a clear and conspicuous statement that the item was either 'made in U.S.A.,' 'imported' or 'made in U.S.A. and [or] imported.'" If a listing says only "luxury blend," keep looking.
The FTC's care labeling rule covers clothing, not towels, but many good makers share care details anyway. And "luxury," "premium" or "hotel quality" are marketing phrases, not standards.
Caring for your towels once they're home
- Wash new towels first. Cleveland Clinic advises it, since new towels are often treated with finishing chemicals.
- Wash regularly: "at least once a week," or "two to three times weekly" if your home is humid. The American Cleaning Institute says "after 3 to 5 normal uses."
- Hang them spread out on a bar, not a hook, so they dry, as Cleveland Clinic recommends.
- Go easy on softener. Researchers found "using softeners reduce" absorption, and Cleveland Clinic warns residue builds up.
Where to buy high quality bath towels online
There's no single best place. Look for enough detail to judge the towel and a fair way to return it:
- Department and home store sites often show several quality levels.
- Specialty bath shops usually give more detail on fiber, weight and weave.
- Makers selling direct can tell you how the towels are made.
- Large marketplaces offer huge choice, but check fiber, origin and seller details.
Before you buy
- Read the return policy: how long you have, whether washed towels can be returned, and who pays shipping.
- Check the seller, including on a marketplace.
- Read reviews for detail: shrinkage, softness after washing and wear beat star ratings.
One more towel for a complete bathroom routine
A plush bath towel takes care of drying off. A complete routine often starts a few minutes earlier, in the shower.
The Sima Japanese Exfoliating Shower Towel is long, so you can hold one end in each hand and reach across your back. It's quick-drying: rinse, wring and hang. Replace it about every 90 days.
A gentle towel wash a few times a week is plenty. New to a textured towel? Start with once or twice a week and the lightest pressure. Our guides to using the towel and washing hard-to-reach back skin walk you through it.
Try it for 30 days.
If you don't love it, we'll refund you – no questions asked.
Sima Japanese Exfoliating Shower Towel
Long enough for your back, quick-drying, and one towel lasts about 90 days.
See the Sima Towel →