There are certain home necessities that deserve extra thought and attention — like your mattress, a television and even the couch in your living room. You wouldn't just purchase an item you use every day without doing a little bit of research, right? So why are we not putting in that same effort while shopping for the towels we use on our bodies?
I'd chalk it up to too many options — the amount of brands out there makes it tempting to go with either the first or most affordable towels you see. I remember when I moved into my apartment and was in the market for new bath towels; I wish someone would've told me exactly which one to buy before I rushed into purchasing the first set I laid eye on. So, I did the work to get those answers for others.
For four weeks, I ended each shower by drying myself off with 10 different towels, eventually narrowing down to my top seven choices. When trying each towel, I considered four key features and rated them on a scale of one to five.
- Softness: Is the fabric plushy? Luxurious? Rough on the skin?
- Absorbency: How well did the towel absorb water, specifically from wet skin?
- Drying time: How long did it take each towel to dry on a drying hook?
- Durability: Does the towel look and feel like it's constructed well? Are there any fabric pulls or fraying threads? How did each towel fare after being put through a washing machine and dryer?
In addition to thoroughly trying each bath towel, I tapped a couple of textile experts to get into the nitty gritty of what to look for in a towel's fabric content and the best way to care for them to ensure their longevity.
Most budget-friendly$undefined$8.96
Best overall bath towel
Softness: 4.5/5 | Absorbency: 4/5 | Drying time: 4.75/5 | Durability: 5/5 | Overall Rating: 4.56/5
Softness: If you blind-folded me, I'm pretty confident I would be able to pick this out of a towel lineup just by touching it. Its softness is simply unparalleled compared to others that I've tested. It's incredibly fluffy, and I honestly look forward to using it on shower days. I've never been tempted to gift someone a towel, but I would look for any excuse to bring this option into anyone's lives, or at least their shower routine. (Especially because you can even have them monogrammed!)
Absorbency: This "hydrocotton" towel is wonderfully thick, which helps it absorb water pretty well. The fibers are actually pretty long, which I notice the most when they get wet. It loses that initial fluffiness, but I'm guessing only because the fibers are collecting as much water possible. Even when the towel seems to reach it absorption limit, it maintains that soft, cozy feel, which hasn't been the norm during for other towels during this testing period.
Drying time: I had this hanging on the rack fixed to the back of my door for all of 15 minutes before I could have taken another shower and been comfortable using the same towel again. I was quite impressed with how well and quickly it dried down.
Durability: After touching this towel for the first time, I would have bet money that I would see fraying after the first use (or after putting it through the washing machine). Well, my wallet would be much lighter today, because it proved me wrong. The fragile-looking material didn't go anywhere. And that softness I couldn't stop raving about? That's also still around, making me reach for it again and again.
More bath towels, as tested by the author
Best waffle weave:
Softness: 4/5 | Absorbency: 4/5 | Drying time: 4/5 | Durability: 5/5 | Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Softness: This one offers the best of both worlds in terms of softness. On one side, you get the soft-to-the-touch feel of ribbed terry, which, honestly, does feel very expensive. On the other side, you get the textured goodness of a waffle weave. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the latter, but I can appreciate the luxurious feel of this side and the sensorial experience one gets from it. It's almost like my fingers experience a mini massage when I run them across it.
Absorbency: Out of the two sides, I think the terry texture did a much better job absorbing water than the waffle texture. The latter one felt like it just glided over my skin, moving the water around as a result.
Drying time: I truly wish I liked the feel of a waffle weave more, because the way that side dried almost immediately was rather impressive. The terry simply took much longer.
Durability: There's no denying that this is a well-constructed towel. It's thick along the outer edges, showing me that both sides have been sewn to perfection and won't fray after several washes. Speaking of washes, the material kept its buttery-soft feel after a warm wash and tumble dry in the machine.
Most budget friendly:
Softness: 4.25/5 | Absorbency: 4.25/5 | Drying time: 4/5 | Durability: 3.5/5 | Overall Rating: 4/5
Softness: For a towel that costs less than $9, this option shocked me in more ways than one. For one, how is it so soft? Sure, I wish it was a but thicker, but for such an affordable towel, I'm not mad about how it feels. I think I let out a "Wow!" when I first wrapped it around myself after a shower. Not bad at all.
Absorbency: Again, another rather shocking discovery is how well this towel sopped up water from my skin. I thought its thin construction would work against it, but it did a decent job soaking up everything.
Drying time: I think this towel did as well as I hoped in the drying category. I thought that its price would reflect a cheaper fabric with less performance value, but it reflected a score on par with other more expensive options.
Durability: Here's where I see long-term problem arising. Just by looking at it, it's clear this towel won't stand the test of time. There are a few loose threads at the corners and along the edges, which might not survive a few more trips through my washer and dryer.
Worth the splurge:
Softness: 4.25/5| Absorbency: 4/5 | Drying time: 4.25/5 | Durability: 5/5 | Overall Rating: 4.38/5
Softness: This one delivers a tougher kind of softness. It's by no means, not soft, but it doesn't have the luxurious feel that I'm looking for when it comes to the best of the best. I think the words "super-plush" in the name is a bit misleading, but the brand is spot on when it says extra-thick. I also love how heavy this feels when I wrap it around myself post-shower, making it feel like I'm getting a warm, weighted hug. That earns it extra points, for sure.
Absorbency: Truly, not many complaints in this department. It did a solid job getting me dry rather quickly. I think it moved some water around my skin just a little bit, rather than absorbing it right away, but it still performed well.
Drying time: Another winner here. I think it only needed a good 15 to 20 minutes to go from post-shower kind of wet to almost completely dry. And that's even after I used it to wring out my medium-length hair.
Durability: I expect to have this towel in my rotation for quite some time. When the brand talks about this towel being "spa quality," I think they are referring to how well it's made. This is the type of towel I expect to see and use in a professional setting, and I figure they choose ones that don't need to be replaced often.
Softest:
Softness: 4.75/5 | Absorbency: 3.5/5 | Drying time: 4.25/5 | Durability: 4.25/5 | Overall Rating: 4.19/5
Softness: Coming from brand that is well known for its cashmere, I'm not surprised by the quality of this bath towel, especially in the softness category. It truly feels luxurious. As a sucker for a ribbed fabric, I can say that it's a top preference for my own bath towels now. It just feels fantastic on the skin and glides seamlessly when I want to get dry quickly.
Absorbency: A ribbed material may feel amazing, but it's not top-notch in terms of absorbency. It will get the job done, but it might take a little while longer than other fabrics and weaves to absorb water and get you completely dry. (Since it feels so nice, I'm willing to overlook it!)
Drying time: On the other hand, this option didn't take long to air dry. The brand says one of its features is a quick-dry fabric, so I'm happy this remained true, rather than staying sopping wet.
Durability: This towel did well after a tumble in the washer and dryer. I had to take care of maybe one or two loose threads (unexpected for having a double hemstitch border), but it maintained its softness and feels like it will hold up well after multiple uses.
Best quick-dry fabric:
Softness: 4.5/5 | Absorbency: 4.5/5 | Drying time: 4/5 | Durability: 4.2/5 | Overall Rating: 4.3/5
Softness: Having never heard of this brand before, I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely this towel felt straight out of the packaging. It's made from Australian cotton, and according to the brand, its woven-loop construction maximizes its softness. However, it also boasts a "super dense" and heavy feel, which I have to disagree with, seeing as I consider it more on the lightweight side. Regardless, I could use this option every day.
Absorbency: This performed exactly as I was hoping it would. I hate that first chill you get when you pull back the curtain after turning off the shower, so I need something that's going to dry me immediately. This did a good job pulling the water from my skin and keeping me warm.
Drying time: I was expecting this one to perform a tad better in the drying department, but it still performed well. After about 20 minutes the material felt a little cold.
Durability: This towel is on the thinner side and feels a bit fragile, and some thread loops look like they aren’t attached as well as they should be (aka, some are longer in spots), so I get the sense that I might see a few pulls in the future. However, it did wash well and looks to be well constructed otherwise.
Most absorbent:
Softness: 3.5/5 | Absorbency: 4.75/5 | Drying time: 4/5 | Durability: 4.75/5 | Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Softness: Admittedly, this towel is not my cup of tea. I love a plush towel, nothing too rough. This one is absolutely on the grittier side; not uncomfortable, per se, just not like you're getting dried off with something as cozy as your best blanket. You can tell by the feel of it that it's designed for function, and I recognize that this fabric is absolutely what some people prefer — just not me.
Absorbency: While I may not be the biggest fan of this towel's fabric, I am the most impressed by how well it absorbs. If you're looking for top-notch performance, this towel isn't messing around. It immediately soaks in water and won't move it around.
Drying time: Because it has the ability to take in a lot of water, it's naturally going to take a bit more time to dry — but not much! It maybe took about a half hour before I considered it to be 80% dry.
Durability: Since this towel is super thick, I'd imagined it needs to be specifically constructed to keep the material from fraying. Other than a loose thread in one of the corners, it looks (and feels) like it will last a long time.
What to look for in bath towels
Fabric is everything
Textile expert Tandy Avery considers bath towels to be an important investment, as they add so much comfort to our lives.
Instead of looking at the cheapest options or simply what matches your bathroom the best, you should be looking out for its softness and fabric content. "Most everything out there is going to be made from cotton. Cotton, particularly Egyptian or Turkish cotton, is a better cotton because it has longer, soft fibers," she says.
Avery adds that a great bath towel will be something made from a blend of cotton and bamboo or modal. "Cotton is great for stability, but the bamboo and modal make it really, really soft."
Careful consideration of fabric — specifically, its thickness — is also a determining factor for judging a towel's absorbency and durability, per textile expert Frej Lewenhaupt. "A good indicator of thickness is the towel’s GSM (grams per square meter) — the higher the GSM, the denser and thicker the fabric will be," he says.
"It’s good to look for a medium GSM (150-350 GSM) which will give you strong absorbency while drying quickly to avoid sitting in moisture which can lead to bacteria growth.”
Fast-drying material
"A terry is going to have a high absorbency and really great comfort, but it’s going to be slower to dry," says Avery. To optimize drying time and prevent mildew from possibly setting in, she recommends appropriately hanging those types of towels as soon as possible post use.
If you prefer the feel of terry but want to prioritize faster drying, she recommends opting for a ribbed texture. "That has the same characteristics as far as really great absorbency, but those ribs are going to help it dry faster, giving it more space for air to go in."
But if you want top performance in the drying department, Avery suggests a waffle weave. "A waffle has really good absorbency and it dries faster, due to construction and how thin it is. But it definitely has a different feel than a terry towel. If you’re in a humid environment, you might go for a waffle."
How I tested bath towels
Throughout the four-week testing period, I used each towel to fully dry my body and wring out my hair in order to test its absorbency, softness and air-dry time. Each towel was also cleaned in the washing machine (in cold or warm water, as suggested in their respective instructions) and put through the same drying speed to test its durability and fabric maintenance.
Why trust Shop TODAY
Danielle Murphy is the audience development writer for Shop TODAY. She joined the team in 2021 and has covered everything from beauty trends to the hottest sales to shop. Since she previously wrote about kitchen sponges for Ranked, she's no stranger to the testing process when it comes to finding the best home products.
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Meet the experts
At Shop TODAY, our reporters interview a range of qualified sources and experts to capture a wide scope of perspectives on a given topic. We also make sure that all expert guidance and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Tandy Avery is a textile expert and the VP of Product Development for the brand Luxome.
- Frej Lewenhaupt is the co-founder and chief product officer for the brand Steamery.
