Context:
I've only been practicing yoga for a few months and this is my first hot yoga mat towel so unfortunately I cannot compare it to cheaper alternatives. I also have only used it a couple of times but wanted to post a review because when I was looking them up I could barely find any.
My yoga mat towel needs:
I have the everyday B MAT, which is slightly longer and wider than all the mat towels in the 25-40$ range I came across online. I'm sure one inch of the mat being exposed on each side isn't the biggest deal functionally but I was willing to keep searching to find something I really loved aesthetically.
The backstory for how I acquired this delightful product:
I came across this towel at wholefoods. The packaging was damaged (someone had ripped the paper off and it had been taped back together and it just looked kind of dusty, like someone had kicked it around all over the store) and it was discounted by 20$ because of the state it was in. I considered getting it but then decided I wanted to go check reviews for it before investing so much into it.
Unfortunately, although all the reviews I found were 4 or 5 stars, there were very few and they were pretty vague, but the design was so beautiful and the dimensions were perfect and it was on my mind for two days straight.
At this point, I decided I wanted to go buy it, so I went back to whole foods to see if it was still there and found it back on the yoga display (thank goodness). When I got to the checkout, it turns out that it was actually a returned item that should have never been put back out on the floor since it wasn't in store-bought condition, so it wasn't actually in their system anymore and they gave it to me for free. It was an incredible surprise and a lovely treat after a terrible week.
Washing, and preparing the towel for use:
I washed it twice when I got home as indicated, and hung it up to dry. It dried very fast and all the must and dust that had accumulated on it in the unsavoury conditions WF had it in washed right off. The grips on the bottom are very sticky and I don't see them getting worn out too fast by washing (keep in mind I haven't washed it too many times yet though). It folds up nicely and isn't too heavy. The stitching around the edge is nice and clean and the logo tag is pretty discreet which I appreciate.
Actual performance:
I used this for two, hour-long hot yoga classes and it worked SO well. I'll break it down below:
1. ABSORBENCY: I am an extremely sweaty person, and especially in hot yoga I have sweat dripping off of my body in constant streams and I was shocked to see how well this towel soaked everything up. When I took the towel off my mat was 100% dry. The people around me had their mats soaked bottom to top and side to side, and not feeling like I need to deep clean my mat after every practice is great. I just give it a wipe on either side, more to get any dirt/dust off the bottom than anything else.
2. GRIP: I didn't feel like I was slipping, even at the beginning when it was completely dry I felt very secure. It was also very well adhered to my mat, although it's important to keep in mind that the BMAT is also very grippy so I don't know what kind of experience people with more slippery mats would have.
3. AESTHETICS: I value aesthetics for items that I plan to keep for a long time and use often. I love the muted colour of my mat and it makes me happy to unroll it and use it, and before I found this towel I was bummed that the only options available to me were bright colours that didn't even fully cover my mat. This one is not only the perfect size, but the smokey colour design is muted enough to make me feel relaxed but grounded and the pop of dark blue adds a really elegant contrast and makes it stand out just enough. The colours and design make the towel stand out while remaining within a neutral pallette.
Final thoughts:
All in all the towel works very well, is beautiful, and has been bringing me a lot of joy in my practice. I spent a super long time writing this review to distract myself from the horrors of life and I had fun. I might update this down the line once I get more use out of the product but I wanted to post this review just in case there's anyone out there looking for them right now.
If you can afford it, upon first impression I think it's well worth the money and if the quality persists with use I will definitely be buying them for my friends who practice yoga :)
