After Testing Over 150 Bath Towels, These Are the Best We Recommend

I never thought much about the quality of my bath towel before I began testing products for a living, and now I play favorites. I prefer a thick, fluffy bath towel that feels equivalent to wrapping up in a warm bathrobe, and I like to stick to white for easy washing. However, several of my teammates prefer a quick-drying, thinner towel to avoid wet towel odors in stuffy bathrooms.

Our team has tested over 150 bath towels over the past three years, and we’ve discovered some standout designs that stay soft and absorbent over months and years of use. The performance of our overall best towel was so strong that I added it to my linen closet. We’ve also found the designs that no one wants: scratchy and stiff, or so thin and unabsorbent you wouldn’t even use it to bathe your dog.

Our Favorite Bath Towel

Pottery Barn Hydrocotton Organic Quick-Dry Bath Towel

$15 at Pottery Barn

The Pottery Barn Hydrocotton Organic Quick-Dry Towel has been our favorite for over two years. In that time we’ve re-tested it twice, and it still holds up to our initial high praise. I recently got married, and when I was creating my wedding registry, there was no doubt about which bath towels I was adding to my list.

Now that I’ve had a set of Hydrocotton towels for three months, I completely understand the excitement. This towel's performance has made it a must-have in my shower routine. 

The texture is fluffy and dense, but not overly so. It has a substantial construction but isn’t too heavy, which makes it both comfortable and effective. I’m always so excited to wrap up in this towel after a shower. It’s the perfect balance of plushness without being too heavy.

My teammate has been using this towel for about a year, and she finds it’s one of the softest towels she owns even after many washes. We have noticed a slight change in softness, but it still feels great against the skin, with no rough texture or scratchiness. We’d happily offer this towel for overnight guests to use so they can be as comfortable as possible.  

The towel is made from organic long-staple Turkish cotton, which gives it a standout texture and impressive absorbency. It has a notably luxurious and high-end feel, and we think it offers great value considering its price point. 

The only downside of this towel’s softness is it releases a significant amount of lint in the dryer during the first few washes. While this is normal for most bath towels, you may notice a little bit of loose lint on your hands and body after the initial use of this towel. 

_{Size: 55 x 28 inches | Material: Organic long-staple Turkish cotton | Weight: 550 GSM}

Best Budget

Better Homes & Gardens Signature Soft Mélange Bath Towel

View on Walmart

The Better Homes & Gardens Signature Soft Melange Bath Towel is great if you’re looking for a towel you can affordably purchase to fill your linen closet. (Better Homes & Gardens is owned by The Spruce’s parent company, Dotdash Meredith.) This towel is the perfect happy medium with soft fibers that dry surprisingly fast.

We were impressed with the quality of these towels, even after six months of use. Because of their durability and texture, my teammate keeps them in her regular towel rotation. Additionally, she said she'd even consider paying more for them.

While we've noticed some loss of initial "silkiness" (likely from the finishing product wearing down), the fibers are still comfortably soft. This towel is thinner than other options on our list, making it a great quick-dry option.

Plus, it has never developed a musty odor—even after sitting at the bottom of a hamper! However, we noticed this bath towel took slightly longer to dry during humid summer days, though that's common across towels of every weight.

_{Size: 56 x 30 inches | Material: Cotton and viscose | Weight: Not listed}

Best Heavyweight

Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towel

$65 at Frontgate

The Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towel is aptly named because it still reminds us of a spa towel even with over a year of use. While this towel is not oversized in dimension, it does feel oversized because of its 700 GSM weight. This higher weight means the towel is ultra-absorbent and its Turkish cotton composition makes it very soft. Turkish cotton has long fibers, which result in a smoother and softer fabric when woven.  

While the Frontgate product page doesn’t disclose whether this towel’s yarns are no-twist or low-twist, it does include that these towels are made with Frontgate’s proprietary Special Spinsoft weave. This weave is supposed to result in a durable, absorbent, and soft cotton yarn. Based on our experience, we can vouch for this towel’s durability, which washes well and is still absorbent. 

Similar to our other favorite heavyweight towel, the Boll & Branch Plush Bath Towel, this design from Frontgate is quite fluffy. You may find that you want to swap it out in the summer if you live in a particularly muggy region. It’s also best to hang this towel on a towel bar between uses to ensure it has plenty of room to fully dry. 

_{Size: 58 x 30 inches | Material: Long-staple Turkish cotton | Weight: 700 GSM}

Boll & Branch Plush Bath Towel

$49 at Bollandbranch.com

We’ve been testing the Boll & Branch Plush Bath Towel for over a year now, and it’s still just as absorbent and thick as it was when we first received it. While it has lost its initial softness, this hasn’t impacted the absorbency. 

There’s little more frustrating than when a towel can’t handle large amounts of water or—worse—loses its absorbency after appearing to be a promising design. Luckily, neither of these horrors is true for this towel. 

This towel is made from low-twist long-staple cotton fibers, as opposed to the Pottery Barn Hydrocotton and Southern Living towels, which are both created with no-twist yarns. This difference is the reason for the Boll & Branch losing its initial softness.

While low-twist cotton yarns are still durable, they are slightly more likely to lose their softness with use because the twisting makes the cotton fibers more fragile, leading to potential breakage with use. The low-twist yarns do help this towel dry within a reasonable amount of time, despite its weight, because there is more air between the cotton fibers.

We are a little disappointed the Boll & Branch product page doesn’t include this towel’s GSM; although we will vouch for its thickness against other towels we’ve tested. We swapped this towel out in the California summertime because it was too thick to dry between uses. Despite a slightly longer dry time, we do think this is a great option for those who prefer an ultra-absorbent towel. 

_{Size: 58 x 30 inches | Material: Organic long-staple cotton | Weight: Not listed}

Brooklinen Super-Plush Turkish Cotton Bath Towels

$89 at Amazon $89 at Brooklinen $145 at Zola

Brooklinen's Super-Plush Bath Towel is another great cozy heavyweight design for anyone who hates leaving a steamy shower stall for a cold bathroom. We've used this towel at home for over a year and it has remained bright white—even blue retinol doesn’t leave behind stains. 

This towel has a thick and fluffy texture that’s also great for colder winter mornings. It’s also the heaviest pick on our list with a weight of 820 GSM, making it a workhorse that absorbs water really well.

However, because of its heaviness and thickness, it isn't as quick-drying as a waffle towel or the Frontgate Egyptian Cotton Bath Towel (our best quick-drying pick). This Brooklinen towel is sometimes still damp the next day. So, we wouldn't recommend using it as your hair towel but as a body towel instead.

_{Size: 58 x 30 inches | Material: Long-staple Turkish cotton | Weight: 820 GSM}

Softest

Southern Living Turkish Cotton and Modal Bath Towel

View on Dillards.com

A close runner-up to Pottery Barn’s Hydrocotton towel, the Southern Living Turkish Cotton and Modal Bath Towel has maintained its soft texture for over one year (and many trips to the laundromat). (Southern Living is owned by The Spruce’s parent company, Dotdash Meredith.) 

While our favorite Pottery Barn towel has a middleweight of 550 GSM, this fluffy pick from Southern Living has a higher weight at 700 GSM. This means that the towel is slightly more absorbent; however, the downside is that it takes a little longer to dry. This is standard for plusher, heavier towels.

This towel has held up to aggressive laundromat washing and drying, which we attribute to the cotton-modal blend of its fibers. Modal is a type of synthetic material, often added to cotton for further strength. Additionally, the zero-twist fibers allow the cotton to maintain its soft texture longer and ensure its absorbency. Zero-twist cotton means the cotton fibers are wrapped together without breaking them.

As the cherry on top, I especially love how this towel doesn’t have a band, unlike many other designs on our list. Banded towels inevitably warp with washing and lose their nice rectangular shape. This towel’s decorative five-stripe border actually plays double duty by also allowing the towel to maintain its shape more easily through a wash cycle. 

_{Size: 56 x 30 inches | Material: 80 percent cotton, 20 percent modal | Weight: 700 GSM}

Best Waffle

Brooklinen Waffle Bath Towels

$89 at Brooklinen

I've been testing the Brooklinen Dreamweave Waffle Bath Towel for nine months and it’s still absorbent, despite being pretty thin. As a waffle bath towel skeptic, this design has set the bar high. The airy weave makes this towel super quick to dry, so it’s my go-to during muggy summer days. 

It also holds up well in the wash, which is a true feat for any waffle bath towel, as they tend to lose shape with washing. I’ve noticed that “holes” may appear in the waffle weave from other towel fibers getting stuck in the towel during the wash cycle, but they aren’t actual holes in the towel itself and go away with gentle fluffing of the material. I will also note that my fingernails and jewelry tend to catch on this towel, so it may not be conducive to every lifestyle. 

While I prefer a fluffy towel, my husband is a big fan of this towel for its stretchy and absorbent nature. He even asks if there’s a clean one in the linen closet when he’s swapping out his towel each week. 

My last word of caution for this towel is I've noticed some persistent bleach stains (I have the ocean blue color). I’m not sure if the stains are from a skincare product or the washing machine, but keep this in mind if you’re eyeing one of Brooklinen’s brighter color options. 

_{Dimensions: 58 x 30 inches | Material: Turkish cotton | Weight: 290 GSM}

Best Quick-Drying

Frontgate Egyptian Cotton Bath Towel

$43 at Frontgate

Despite the Frontgate Egyptian Cotton Bath Towel’s impressive 800 GSM weight, it is very quick to dry, making it one of our favorite designs with this quality. We’ve been using this towel at home for nine months, and love how absorbent it is, and we haven’t noticed any change in this with washing.

This towel doesn’t feel quite as luxurious as Frontgate’s Resort Collection towel, which is why we’ve noted its quick-drying properties as opposed to its heavy weight. While we wouldn’t describe this towel as soft as our favorite from Pottery Barn, it’s also not scratchy, so this may be the perfect towel for people who don’t love overly plush options. 

The one flaw we've noticed with this towel is it has begun to shrink around the dobby band at each end. While shrinkage in this area is typical for towels, we suggest avoiding a high-heat dryer setting to mitigate shrinkage with this particular design. 

_{Size: 58 x 30 inches | Material: Long-staple Egyptian cotton | Weight: 800 GSM}

How We Tested the Bath Towels

We’ve tested over 150 bath towels over the past three years, and our testing methods have evolved over time to focus on texture and absorption. When we were initially testing towels in The Lab, we had no way of measuring how the towels would feel with repeated use or whether they’d dry in damp bathroom-like conditions.

Now, we test bath towels at home so our editors have more time to evaluate each towel’s performance against typical wear and tear. When testing towels at home, we focus on changes in texture and dedicate weeks to exclusively using and washing that particular towel. We like to pay particular attention to how quickly (or slowly) a bath towel dries.

A quality towel can withstand regular washing, maintains its original texture (or only wears slightly), and continues to absorb water months after it was purchased. All of these towels on our list are favorites among our editors for their texture, dry times, and durability. 

How to Choose the Best Bath Towel

Identify Durable and Absorbent Materials

Cotton towels made with long-staple yarns are the most resilient options to ensure towels stay fluffy and absorbent for months. Despite testing a range of fabrics, including microfiber, bamboo, and linen, we prefer cotton because of its durability.

All of the picks on our list (except our best budget option) are made from Egyptian or Turkish cotton, meaning the fibers won’t break and become scratchy with use. Both of these cotton varieties are known for their durability and softness, which means they’re slightly more expensive than other options on the market 

I like to consider bath towels an investment staple for my home, so purchasing a towel that’s guaranteed to last with proper care may be worth the higher upfront cost. It’s especially easier than continuously replacing towels each year because they can’t hold up to typical wear. 

My favorite towel, the Pottery Barn Hydrocotton Organic Quick-Dry Towel, is made from 100 percent organic long-staple Turkish cotton, and you can feel the quality of the material even after several washes. 

You’ll also notice that some of our towel picks have organic certifications—GOTS being the most common. These are just as soft and plush but offer added peace of mind that the materials have been vetted to be free from pesticides and other chemicals throughout the finishing process. Multiple products on this list are made with GOTS-certified organic cotton, including one of our best heavyweight options, the Boll & Branch Plush Bath Towel.

Prioritize Larger-Sized Towels

Standard bath towels are usually between 27 to 30 inches wide and 52 to 58 inches long. The majority of the picks on our list are 58 inches long and 30 inches wide, so they’re at the larger end of standard towel sizing to ensure they fit all body sizes.

Since I’m shorter, the Pottery Barn Hydrocotton Organic Quick-Dry Towel is a great size for me at 55 x 28 inches because I can still comfortably wrap it around my body without the fabric overwhelming me.

If you want to bundle yourself up in a towel, look for bath sheets, which are larger, spa-like towels that typically measure between 35 to 40 inches wide and 60 to 70 inches long. 

As you might expect, bath sheets generally cost more than standard towels. Many of our favorite bath towels also come in bath sheet sizes, including the Frontgate Resort Collection.

Pay Attention to Fabric Weight

All fabrics, including towels, have a weight that’s measured in GSM, or grams per square meter. In general, towels typically weigh between 300 and 900 GSM—the lower the number, the lighter the towel will be (and the quicker to dry). 

There’s no “right” towel weight; it’s simply a matter of personal preference. Some people like lighter towels, while others prefer heavy, dense ones. I prefer a towel with a GSM lower than 600 because I like to wrap the towel around my body, and heavier towels typically don't stay put.

• Towels with a weight range of 300 to 400 GSM tend to be lightweight, with a quick dry time. 
• 400 to 620 GSM towels are suitable for everyday use, as they have a medium weight and a moderate dry time.
• 620 to 900 GSM towels are heavyweight, plush, and take longer to dry.

As a general rule of thumb, towels with a GSM of 300-400 are great for humid areas, while products between 400 and 600 GSM offer a happy medium between plush and lightweight.

While heavier towels typically take longer to dry, we were surprised to find in our testing that our best quick-drying pick, the Frontgate Egyptian Cotton Bath Towel, is our heaviest option at 820 GSM.

Don't Overlook a Towel's Absorbency

Absorbency may be important, but it's often hard to discern when you’re shopping in-store or online. I've found that some overly fluffy towels have terrible absorbency because they just seem to push water around (and leave behind a trail of fluffs in the process). There’s no way to measure a towel’s absorbency without trying it, but you can look for a few indicators that a towel will soak up plenty of water. 

For one, thicker, heavier towels are generally more absorbent, as previously noted. This means towels with a higher GSM will soak up more water—but, remember, they take longer to dry out.

Further, towels made from premium cotton varieties, such as Egyptian or Turkish cotton, tend to be more absorbent, as are products made from a cotton-rayon blend.

One of the most absorbent towels we’ve tested is the Southern Living Turkish Cotton and Modal Bath Towel (our softest pick), which has a medium-weight construction. It’s also a blend of cotton and modal fibers, giving it added absorbent properties.

One More Thing

The way you wash your towels can make or break their long-term performance. Washing your towels in hot water can degrade the cotton too quickly, causing them to become scratchy and lose their absorbent properties.

Similarly, too many high-heat dry cycles can shrink the towels (especially the band), which also lessens their absorption. I steer clear of fabric softeners and dryer sheets when laundering my towels as this can leave a thin coating on the fibers, ultimately changing their texture.

Why Trust The Spruce?

Emma Phelps is an associate editor at The Spruce specializing in bedding and bath content. Phelps owns several of the towels on this list and prefers a medium-weight density that’s quick to dry in her bathroom. As a former competitive swimmer, she can’t stand a towel that won’t quickly dry her off and maintain its absorbency with repeated washing.