Almost any bath towel will do the job, but the best bath towels are absorbent, soft to the touch, and dry quickly, which makes all the difference between a routine and luxurious shower experience. Bath towels come in different materials, weights, and styles—and browsing through the various options online can be challenging.
To help narrow down your choices, the Well+Good team tried and tested some of the most popular bath towels on the market, reviewing them in terms of absorbency, texture, and overall quality. Bonus points if they’re sustainably manufactured or made from eco-friendly materials.
From luxuriously plush to quick-drying bath towels, these six picks are the best options for upgrading your shower routine.
Best bath towels, at a glance:
Best bath towels
Best plush
Brooklinen, Super-Plush Bath Towel Bundle — $64.00
- Material: 100% Turkish cotton
- Weight: 820 GSM
- Certifications? Yes (Oeko-Tex certification)
- Size: 58 x 30 inches
Brooklinen’s bath towels live up to their name: At 820 GSM, they offer maximum plushness. Our reviewer noted the bath towel is “heavy and warm,” making it akin to cocooning yourself in a weighted blanket after a shower. The towel is absorbent too, so you can expect it to quickly soak up water. What’s more, according to our reviewer, it made the process of drying sopping wet hair much faster. Made from 100 percent Turkish cotton that’s Oeko-Tex certified, it feels soft, if a little slick, on the skin—ideal if you’re looking for something that is gentle on the face and body. A trade-off to using this plush towel is that it takes longer to dry, though our reviewer mentioned that it didn’t develop a musty odor between washes. As a bonus, the bath towels are sold as a set, and they come in a selection of classic and seasonal colors.
Best budget
Frontgate, Resort Collection Bath Towel — $40.00
- Material: 100% Turkish cotton
- Weight: 700 GSM
- Certifications? Yes (Oeko-Tex certification)
- Size: 58 x 30 inches
If you’re looking for luxury at a reasonable price, look no further than Frontgate’s plush bath towels. “Perhaps the plushest, dreamiest towels I’ve ever used in my life,” raved our reviewer. They’re woven from Oeko-Tex-certified Turkish cotton that is combed to reduce shedding, making them incredibly soft and smooth as a result. According to our reviewer, they have a “memory-foam like feel,” which might be largely in part to its weight of 700 GSM. “However, while luxuriously plush, these towels can get heavy when damp and can take a while to dry,” she noted. Another thing our reviewer points out? All the color options—“they have a huge variety of colors, allowing you to mix and match to your specific style.” Choose from over 20 options, ranging from neutral to bright pops of color.
Best luxury textile
Cultiver, Pure Linen Bath Towel — $80.00
- Material: 100% European flax
- Weight: 550 GSM
- Certifications? Yes (Oeko-Tex certification)
- Size: 55 x 28 inches
If you’re interested in purchasing a bath towel made from an alternative luxury textile, this option from Cultiver is what you’ve been looking for. “If you love linen sheets, you’ll love this linen bath towel,” says our reviewer. “It’s not soft and fluffy, but it feels incredibly luxe.” It’s made from 100 percent flax, which is grown in Europe, and it has an Oeko-Tex certification. The material is known to be lightweight but absorbent, which is ideal for anyone that wants the best of both worlds. At 550 GSM, the bath towel is quite substantial too—but it isn’t so thick that it stays damp for an extended period of time. Our reviewer adds that it’s “perhaps the most beautiful bath towel I’ve ever owned,” noting the fringed edges as a nice touch. “This is a high-end bath towel, no doubt.”
Best quick-drying
Parachute, Waffle Towel — $49.00
- Material: 100% Turkish cotton
- Weight: 240 GSM
- Certifications? Yes (Oeko-Tex certification)
- Size: 56 x 30 inches
If you favor quick-drying bath towels over fluffy ones, Parachute’s waffle towels are a great option. According to our reviewer: “These towels wick away moisture quickly, but because of their soft, thin texture and slight stretch, these dry faster than thicker towels.” At 240 GSM, you will lose some fluff, but this doesn’t mean the towels skimp on softness. “I was expecting the waffle texture to be more rigid (think: white hotel waffle towels), but I was wrong,” our reviewer mentioned. “Made of 100 percent Turkish cotton, they are soft, breezy, and feel like they weigh next to nothing.” She adds that they’re attractive, too. “These light, airy towels look and feel more like expensive throw blankets than bath towels.”
Best Supima cotton
Onsen, Bath Towel — $50.00
- Material: 100% Supima cotton
- Weight: 470 GSM
- Certifications? Yes (Oeko-Tex certification)
- Size: 57 x 31 inches
Another pick with a waffle weave, this bath towel from Onsen is lightweight at 470 GSM but it can wick water away from the body with little to no effort. Plus, our reviewer mentioned that it doesn’t take long to dry after use. Its textured style offers a pleasantly invigorating sensation against the skin, but it isn’t at all scratchy. The bath towel is made of 100 percent American-grown Supima cotton, which is known for its soft and incredibly smooth skin-feel (our reviewer confirmed this), and it’s Oeko-Tex certified. “Bonus: It’s not bulky, so it hangs really nicely, which really elevates the look of my bathroom,” says our reviewer. You can shop it in several options, ranging from classic neutrals to visually appealing colors, like denim blue and a sunny yellow ochre.
Best organic
Coyuchi, Temescal Organic Bath Towel — $59.00
- Material: 100% Turkish cotton
- Weight: 600 GSM
- Certifications? Yes (GOTS certification)
- Size: 58 x 25 inches
“Coyuchi’s bath towels are where fluffiness meets function,” our reviewer proclaimed. At 600 GSM, they are neither too thick nor too thin but fall within the Goldilocks category of “just right.” In addition to being gorgeous, our reviewer notes, “these have a soft, ribbed texture that makes them great at absorbing the little droplets that a typical towel might otherwise miss.” What might be one of the best features of these bath towels is the fact that they’re made with 100% Turkish cotton that is GOTS certified, “meaning they adhere to specific global sustainability standards for cloth textile production,” our reviewer reports—a big bonus for those who want to shop sustainably. While only available in a handful of neutral colors, they’re versatile enough to fit right into any bathroom.
Homebird, Plush Bath Towel Complete Set — $167.00
- Material: 100% organic cotton
- Weight: 700 GMS
- Certifications? Yes (GOTS certification)
- Size: 58 x 30 inches (bath towel); 30 x 20 inches (hand towel); 13 x 13 inches (washcloth)
If you want to switch to sustainable bath linens, the Homebird towel set comes with everything you need. Included in the set are two bath towels, two hand towels, and two washcloths, all made of GOTS-certified long-staple organic cotton. “When I step out of the shower, I want to step into a fluffy towel—the thicker, the better,” our reviewer says. These towels fit the bill. At 700 GSM, our reviewer describes them as “thick and absorbent,” plus “[they] stay fluffy and soft after use.” While on the plusher side, they don’t stay damp for long. “When left hanging in my bathroom with the exhaust fan running, they don’t take long to dry,” our reviewer says. “All in all, if you want your towel to feel like it’s giving you a hug, the plush towels from Homebird will do just that.” However, she recommends reaching for the brand’s Classic line if you want a super quick-drying towel.
What to look for when shopping for bath towels
Parima Ijaz, the founder of bedlinen brand Pure Parima who draws knowledge from years in the textile industry, told Well+Good that there are three things to consider when shopping for bath towels: material, weight, and style.
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Material
First, you’ll want to think about the material of the bath towel. Bath towels are typically made from cotton or a cotton blend. If you’re after a pure cotton bath towel, look for options made from long-staple cotton, like pima and Turkish cotton, which produce soft and strong yarns that, as a bonus, are gentle on the skin. Budget-minded shoppers might want to opt for cotton-blend bath towels. They’re soft as well, though according to Ijaz, they aren’t as absorbent as options made from pure cotton. If you’re particular about purchasing bath towels made from eco-friendly materials, opt for varieties made from organic cotton, which typically requires less water and no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to cultivate, or alternative textiles, like flax.
Those who are shopping with sustainability in mind might also want to choose options with environmental certifications that involve third-party verification to check whether a company adheres to sustainability practices. Reputable certifications include the Oeko-Tex certification (which ensures textiles are free of substances that are potentially harmful to humans and the environment), or the Global Organic Textile Standard or GOTS certification (which verifies that at least 70 percent of the fibers in a textile are organic and meet environmentally responsible processing standards).
Weight
A bath towel’s weight, measured in grams per square meter (GSM), is another consideration. Typically, a higher GSM corresponds to a thicker bath towel, with a trade-off being that it may take longer to dry. Those who prefer quick-drying options might want to opt for one with a lower GSM—or, alternatively, a loose-weave bath towel, which thanks to its breathable design, won’t stay damp for a long time and risk developing a musty odor between washes.
Style
Function aside, you might want to select a bath towel that matches your aesthetic sensibilities. Luckily, there are plenty of options on the market, from neutrals to bright pops of color, so you’re bound to find one that will make you look forward to showering and the moment that follows, aka “towel time.”
How to care for your bath towels
A quality bath towel will stand up to frequent use, says Ijaz, lasting you from five to 10 years. If you want to ensure they last a long time, proper care is essential. Follow the specific care instructions on your bath towel’s label as they can vary widely from brand to brand. Many bath towels, for instance, can be safely machine washed while others require air-drying—or at least the manufacturer recommends it.
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