We can’t all go to the spa on a regular basis, but as we discovered in our recent tests, you can replicate a spa-like experience on a relative budget with our favorite bath towels. We tested 20 bath towels, including options from IKEA, Brooklinen, Quince, and Target, to find the softest, quickest-drying linens for your bathroom. 

In this article

• American Soft Linen Luxury Bath Towels come in many vibrant colors, but they’re not as soft, nor do they dry as quickly, as competitors.

• Cozy Earth Luxe Bath Towels are pricey and quite soft, but took longer to air-dry.

• Ariv Collection Premium Jumbo Towels used a fair amount of dryer energy, but they didn’t hourglass badly.

• IKEA Fredriksjon Bath Towels didn’t shrink much, but they’re not especially soft, nor do they hold up as well as other towels in our tests after washing.

• Brooklinen Super Plush Turkish Cotton Bath Towels are very soft, but take time and energy to dry.

• Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towels tested similarly to the Brooklinen Super Plush towels, above; they are notably soft but slow to dry.

• The generically named White Classic Luxury Bath Towels did fine across the board, but failed to impress.

• Threshold (Target) Spa Plush Towels are soft, but take time and energy to dry—plus, they shrank in our tests.

• Boll & Branch Plush Bath Towel Set is the priciest option in our tests, but was among the lowest performers for dry time. 

Thick, heavy towels generally take longer to dry, but some people prefer a more blanket-like bath towel. If that’s the case, you might like the Cozy Earth Luxe Bath Towels, the Brooklinen Super Plush Turkish Cotton Bath Towels, and the Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towels, which performed well with the exception of air-drying and dryer use metrics. 

We tested four towels of each, in white or the lightest color we could find. We then tested each towel according to a variety of criteria. 

A sensory panel of two testers evaluated the softness of each towel by rubbing it on the inside of their forearm, where skin is usually the softest. We also scored any changes in softness and pilling that occurred after washing. 

Our testers weighed each towel dry, then weighed it wet after a wash cycle. The difference in weight is the amount of water that needs to be evaporated from the towel; more retained water weight means increased energy use in the dryer. 

Buying bath towels can be surprisingly confusing if you want to know exactly what you’re paying for. There’s a fair amount of terminology; understanding these terms can help you see past the marketing hype and make a more sound purchase.

You’ll find bath towels made either with 100 percent cotton, or a mixture of cotton and synthetic fibers like polyester. “Generally, a cotton-based towel could have better water absorbency and could be more preferable to consumers compared to towels made with synthetic or blended fibers,” says Sumit Mandal, PhD, an associate professor of textile science at Oklahoma State University. 

Within the category of cotton, though, is a lot of variation. At the top of the ladder you’ll find Egyptian and pima cotton. “Cotton grown in Egypt of a certain species is called Egyptian cotton,” says Preeti Arya, PhD, an assistant professor of textile development and marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. “The same species of cotton grown in the U.S. is known as Supima/pima cotton.” Supima cotton is a trademarked pima cotton that represents only a tiny portion of cotton grown globally.

Turkish cotton is similar to Egyptian cotton, says Arya, but isn’t quite as high quality as Egyptian and pima cotton. All three types—Turkish, Egyptian, and pima—are going to be softer, more durable, and more absorbent than cotton grown in other regions, such as India and Bangladesh, according to Mandal.

Broadly speaking, “staple length” is the length of fibers used in a yarn. The longer the staple, the softer the yarn—and the more expensive the towel. “Imagine you took a bunch of short fibers and twisted them; you would have little fibers protruding. If I have longer fibers and twist those, the surface of the yarn will be less hairy, and therefore softer to the touch,” says Larissa Shepherd, PhD, an assistant professor of human-centered design at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

One reason why Egyptian cotton is so top-notch? Its fibers have the longest staple length, according to Mandal. 

These terms refer to types of yarn that make up the fabric in a towel. Ringspun cotton is made of cotton fibers that have been twisted into a long, fine, durable rope. It makes particularly comfortable fabric—and it’s also pricey to produce, says Shepherd. Combed cotton goes through an additional “combing” process that removes short fibers and debris. “Using a cotton that has been combed will result in a stronger yarn and a smoother, lighter-weight fabric,” says Shepherd. The cotton used in towels can be both combed and ringspun, which would make it particularly durable, according to Mandal. 

Many towel brands will hype up the weight of their towels as an indicator of quality. Weight is usually measured in grams per square meter (GSM). Heavier towels are more absorbent and have a luxurious feel, but a heavy weight shouldn’t be used as the determining factor when buying a towel. “Consumers should look for high-quality cotton over the weight of the towel,” says Kathryn Reiley, PhD, an adjunct professor in apparel design and retail and consumer studies at the University of Minnesota College of Design in St. Paul, Minnesota. High-quality cotton would include Egyptian, Supima, or pima cotton (and, to a lesser extent, Turkish cotton), particularly that which has been combed or ringspun. “The weight doesn’t affect quality because a heavy-weight towel could be made out of low-quality cotton or high-quality cotton.” 

Loops are the, well, loops of yarn that make a towel fluffy. Yarn thickness and loop density determine the absorbency and weight of a towel. Short loops or sparse loops (like balding hair) are lighter and less absorbent than long loops or dense loops (like a thick head of hair). That’s because these loops are what trap the water, according to Shepherd. “If you have a towel and the loops are scarce, and/or they have shorter/flatter loops, this towel won’t be as absorbent, although it may weigh less,” she says. 

Dobby border: The dobby border is the wide, flat decorative strip that towels have on one or both ends. They’re often woven in an interesting design, such as checkers or stripes. Dobby borders are considered higher-end than cam borders, which are thinner and have a simpler look. However, you can find both styles (or no decorative border at all) across a wide range of prices.

In middle school, I had an English teacher who I very distinctly remember asking the class a question unrelated to any of our reading material: Isn’t it odd that we have to wash our towels, since we use them when we’re clean?

Such an attitude, unfortunately, will not bode well for your linens or your health. Dirty bath towels can cause eczema and dermatitis flare-ups, and both cause and spread warts, athlete’s foot, jock itch, and toenail fungus. 

“We recommend washing bath towels after three or four uses under normal conditions,” says Rich Handel, a senior test project leader at Consumer Reports who oversees our laundry tests. And to answer my junior high school teacher’s question: “The towel picks up the residues from various body parts, dead skin cells, and microbes. That microbiome can fester and grow.” Rich points out that, in addition to drying clean skin, your towel is also removing remnants that didn’t wash off in the shower. Yuck.

To minimize this, use hot water and either the normal or heavy-duty cycle depending on the thickness of your towels. And don’t use fabric softener on your towels. It can leave a residue that reduces their absorption. Also, build-up from fabric softeners in your washer can sometimes lead to mold and mildew (plus, it can reduce the effectiveness of your dryer’s moisture sensor, which should be cleaned periodically for best performance.)

Speaking of mold—definitely hang up your towel as soon as you’re finished using it. “What’s most important is to allow your towel to dry in between uses. That means not leaving it on the floor in a pile,” says Rich. “If you do take multiple showers a day, you might want to consider having two towels.” That way, you allow each towel time to dry between showers. 

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