The Best Yoga Towels For Slippery Mats & Sweat

• Also available on Walmart, $20

Thousands of yogis swear by this hot yoga towel by Shandali — it boasts a 4.5-star overall rating after more than 4,200 reviewers have chimed in. It’s made of suede-like microfiber to absorb sweat without becoming slick. One shopper reported: “You can sweat your way through 60 minutes of hot yoga with no slipping at all.” It comes six colors and two sizes, a standard towel size and hand towel size.

According to one reviewer: “I own several yoga towels and this one is my favorite. It is soft to the touch but still grippy and absorbent enough for my (hot) yoga sessions.”

With a silicone nonslip bottom and a thick microfiber top, this yoga towel is a sturdy option that’s still less than $20. Choose from three colors and this one even comes with a spray bottle so you can keep things fresh. If you’re in need of a hand towel as well, consider the IUGA yoga towel set below for just a few dollars more.

According to one reviewer: “I loved this towel so much that I bought a second one and another one in a different color! I didn’t want to spend $50-60 for a fancy yoga towel, but I wanted to upgrade from the ones I bought at 5 below. This towel does the trick! I have no problems with slipping.”

• Also available on Walmart, $43

For the yogis that love to sweat, there’s the Shandali Stickyfiber yoga towel. It’s designed for hot yoga and sweaty practices, and it’s made with a silicone web-grip bottom that provides a whole different level of nonslip stickiness. In fact, the wetter it gets, the better it grips. It can also be washed and dried in the machine, comes in five colors, and is suitable for any practice — not just hot yoga.

According to one reviewer: “Good size. Fits my yoga mat. Does absorb all the water I can pour on it. And it sticks to the mat. There is no slipping on this mat. Great value. Buy it. You won’t be disappointed.”

Amazon shoppers have raved about this IUGA yoga towel set, calling it a “wonderful addition” to their practice and an even “better [option] than the more expensive towels.” The premium microfiber material absorbs moisture and dries quickly for a safe practice, while the textured weave strikes the perfect balance between softness and grip. It’s a little bit thicker (and bigger) than other brands for more cushioning, but it’s still surprisingly lightweight. It even has corner pockets to keep it in place, no matter what pose you’re working on. The best part? All the color and size variations are less than $25, and it comes with a free hand towel and a spray bottle so you can dry your sweat and clean your mat.

According to a reviewer: “I’m a Bikram and Inferno Hot Pilates lover and I’ve put this set through doubles for almost a month now. I can say that I have not been more in love with a towel like I am with this towel set. I may never go back to using standard towels. Absorbency is solid, as well as drying time. I tend to let this dry for at least 24 hours before reuse followed by a gentle cold wash. Very durable and grippy enough for something more intense like Inferno Hot Pilates. The towel doesn’t really need the corner slots as it stays on the mat even without a spray down. Great value for it’s price and much better value compared to some of the microfiber towels you can find plenty of at most stores.”

• Also available on Walmart, $52, and DICK’S Sporting Goods, $30

Whether you travel a ton or you’re just dreading lugging yet another thing to the studio, this Gaiam yoga towel is for you. Despite its double-layer microfiber top and nonslip bottom, it’s only 1.5 millimeters thick. That means you can fold it up into a tiny square or just roll it up at the end of class. But don’t let its thin and lightweight design fool you — it still absorbs sweat and prevents you from slipping with the natural rubber that’s woven into the microfiber. And when you’re on the go, it even doubles as a yoga mat if you don’t need a lot of padding.

According to one reviewer: “I love using this when I travel, it’s so lightweight and easy to fold, and I can have a real stretch/yoga session in my hotel room without getting on the carpet or trying to stretch a bath towel into a mat. It’s not padded like a yoga mat, but it does provide the same coverage in length and it does not slip around – grips nicely. Best of all it’s machine washable and I have found it holds up well in the wash (best to air dry). Although it’s called a mat towel I use it exclusively as a travel mat.”

• Also available on Manduka, $40, and DICK’S Sporting Goods, $45

With Manduka’s sweat-grip technology, the more you sweat, the better this yoga towel will grip. Another favorite from the yogi-approved brand, this one has earned raves from those who don’t love the feel of silicone dots underfoot. It comes in a hand towel-size version too, so you can easily find the one that best suits your practice. It’s also gotten an impressive 4.6-star rating overall.

According to one reviewer: “I do a lot of yoga, and while I have a great mat (manduka pro), given the FL humidity, I still slip and found myself exerting unnecessarily to keep my grip. I looked a lot of towels, and decided to go with another manduka brand. It is on the higher end for a towel, but it stays in place, absorbs the sweat, and is very soft. I find myself not slipping and gripping. It’s important to avoid any potential injury, so if you find yourself slipping, get this towel.”

• Also available on Walmart, $36

Even though the price tag is under $20, reviewers can’t stop raving about how much they love this towel. Made of 100% microfiber, the Ewedoos yoga mat absorbs five times its weight in water and dries far faster than most other towels, which means you save money on your energy bill, and there’s less of a chance of slipping in that sweaty, hot yoga class. Plus, it comes in a fun range of colors. While it doesn’t have grippy dots or a silicone bottom, reviewers have given it a 4.6-star overall rating, and attest to its nonslip abilities.

According to one reviewer: “So glad I bought this before the summer yoga series started. With the refreshing breeze, it stayed in place as the mat tucked into corners. Slightly longer than my mat, so sometimes I found myself ‘ironing’ out the fold, especially during balance series. It grips well once you start sweating, however you may find yourself slipping before the sweat comes in. I haven't tried spraying it before the practice starts, but it seems like a good idea. And in case you do not know: do not use fabric softener when washing it!”

For a smaller towel, this ultra-absorbent towel is worth considering. It doesn’t feature the nonslip webbing or dots like some of the larger towels on this list, but it’s a great option to catch sweat or pad your knees. And some reviewers also report that it adds a little bit of slippage prevention. Choose from three colors.

According to one reviewer: “Obsessed. It’s my favorite hand towel for all of my hot classes. Bigger than most, plus excellent absorption...AND I SWEAT!!! About to get more.”

• Also available on Bed Bath & Beyond, $18

The Mission Vaporactive towel is my go-to yoga towel because I can’t stand when my mat feels warm or clammy underneath me. Using a special VaporActive fabric, this one attracts all the moisture on your body so it can promptly remove it via evaporation. One reviewer described the mat as “beautiful, great quality, SOFT!” adding that they were “pleasantly surprised by the soft feel.” It also has framed corner pockets that wrap around your mat to keep everything in place. Best of all, the permanent nonslip technology never washes out, so unlike other mats, it stays safe even after countless classes.

According to one reviewer: “I do hot vinyasa style yoga almost every day and like the have towels that not only absorb my sweat, but also keep my hands a little bit sturdier in poses like downward dog than they would be alone on the mat. I do have to wet the mat where my hands and feet go before my practice for the best grip, but I have to do this with all my yoga towels. And the little pockets on the corners keep the towel sturdy on my mat so I don’t have to fix the towel during my practice like I do with other mats.”

• Also available on Walmart, $28, Gaiam, $35, and DICK’S Sporting Goods, $35

If you’d prefer to try a PVC grip, this Gaiam yoga towel features the classic, absorbent microfiber top and nonslip PVC in the back. Designed to be a little thicker than usual, it has enough cushioning, the brand reports that it can even double as a mat if need be.

According to one reviewer: “I own a couple of these towels for yoga class. I sweat a lot and they are absorbent and do not slide [...] you don’t have to spray them down to stay in place and it doesn’t easily catch on your skin.”

Why not add fun to your yoga practice with this hot yoga towel? With seven pretty tie-dye designs, you’re sure to have the most eye-catching mat in the room. Reviewers have attested this mat can hold up to regular washing — one shopper wrote, “I’ve machine washed and dried it a few times and the color has not faded and it’s still performing like new.” The mat also has nonslip dots on one side to stop the towel from slipping as you navigate difficult poses. With a 4.7-star overall rating after more than 1,500 customer reviews, it’s a popular pick on Amazon, too.

According to one reviewer: “I honestly was so pleased with this towel, especially for the price. The patterns are not too overwhelming/annoying and they are non-slip. I think the material is great for continued use and the size is just right for a full yoga mat. Would purchase again!”