The Best Cotton Towel

Buying Guide

If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel with thick, luxurious towels, you may suddenly see your own bath towels as inadequate. But you can find that same quality, if not better, for your own bathroom. It’s well worth it to spend a little more for that great experience when you step out of the shower, but you’ll need to know exactly what to prioritize before you start shopping.

The first feature to look for is “GSM.” This stands for grams per square meter, and it tells you how thick and absorbent the towel is. The number ranges from 300 to 900, with towels 600 and above being the thick towels you’re looking for. A towel ranging from 300 to 400 is useful, too, though, as it dries quicker. This might be the type of towel you want to take to the gym or beach.

But for that softness you enjoy so much at hotels, pay attention to the cotton. Turkish cotton is the most popular for luxury towel-making, as that type of cotton features longer, denser threads. For maximum absorbency, though, look into Egyptian cotton, although you’ll pay for this absorbency in longer drying time.

• If you want a larger bath towel, you’ll need to look for one labeled as a “bath sheet.” Those towels are 35 by 60 inches, compared to standard bath towel sizes of 27 by 52.
• Although thick, absorbent bath towels made from Egyptian or Turkish cotton are nice for drying and wrapping around your body, they do fall short in one area. If you like to wrap your hair up in a towel, consider a hair wrap towel or have a lighter-weight towel on hand for that purpose.
• Over time, towels can begin to fray at the edges. Look for one with reinforced hems to ensure durability.
• Always wash your towels before using them to help set the dyes.
• Some towels can leave lint behind. Others will easily absorb lint from other clothing in the washer or dryer. For best results, wash your towels separately from other items.
• Some towels start to lose their color after several washes. If this is a concern, look for towels that have been manufactured to hold their color.
• As tempting as it can be to use fabric softener to improve the texture of your towels, it can leave residue behind that actually makes them stiffer.
• If you want to make sure all your bath linens coordinate, look for towels that have matching washcloths, hand towels and other items.