The 10 Best Yoga Towels

Hot yoga regulars often start with the Manduka Yogitoes, the towel that made silicone nubs on the underside a standard. Those small bumps hold it to the mat, and the top turns grippier as it soaks up sweat. Manduka says its dyes are free of lead and heavy metals, and it sells longer and wider cuts for bigger mats. The bumps can press into your back in floor poses, and it's a pricey way to cover a mat.

For a sweaty class on a budget, the Eunzel Grip Dot is the smart buy. Wirecutter found it performs about as well as towels that cost several times more. Silicone dots are fused to the underside, contrast stitching trims the edges, and the prints use water-based inks. It can go in the dryer on low heat. The dots can be felt in floor poses, and the brand hasn't been around as long as the big names.

If bumps under your back bother you, the Manduka eQua has none. It's a soft, smooth microfiber that turns grippy once it's damp, so a quick mist from a spray bottle before class helps it settle in. It dries fast, washes in the machine and comes in a long cut and a hand-towel version. With nothing anchoring it, it can creep on a slick or brand-new mat until you start to sweat.

Shandali GoSweat has been a studio staple for years, and it's a simple, low-cost way to cover a whole mat. The suede-like microfiber has no silicone at all, so it feels soft when you lie down, and it gets tackier as you sweat. It comes in a long run of colors and drapes a little past the edges of a standard mat. Bone dry, it can slide, so mist the spots under your hands and feet first.

Bunching is the usual gripe with mat towels, and the Gaiam Stay-Put answers it with a sewn pocket at each corner that slips over the ends of your mat. The microfiber is hypoallergenic, and Gaiam says it holds about twice the water of cotton. It suits slower classes and home practice as well as hot rooms. It's cut for a shorter standard mat, so the pockets can be a stretch on long mats.

Sweaty palms tend to slip first, so the IUGA 2-in-1 set pairs a full mat cover with a matching hand towel. The big towel hooks on with corner pockets, and IUGA says its textured weave is thicker than typical yoga towels. Keep the small one by your mat to wipe your face, or lay it under your hands in downward dog. That extra thickness means it can take longer to dry after class.

Fast vinyasa and power classes leave no time to fix a towel, which is where the Shandali StickyFiber fits. A web of silicone on the bottom holds the mat from the first pose, before you've worked up a sweat, and the waffle texture on top gives your hands something to press into. It goes in the washer with the rest of your laundry. Heat can wear the silicone, so hang it to dry.

Prints are the draw with the Yoga Design Lab Hot towel, whose art comes from the brand's studio in Bali. The sueded microfiber is spun from recycled plastic bottles and printed with water-based inks, and it grips better once it's damp. It also works as a beach or picnic towel. There's no silicone or pocket to hold it in place, so it can shift on a smooth mat, and it costs a lot for a towel.

Most microfiber starts gripping once it's misted, and the Heathyoga Non-Slip towel ships with a small spray bottle for just that. Instead of separate dots, a thin silicone coating covers the underside, which helps it hold on smooth mats and gives the back a slightly tacky feel. It comes in several soft colors and washes in the machine. The coated back isn't as nice on bare skin if you use it at the beach.

Body By Yoga's Yoga Drip uses two ways of staying put: silicone dots on the bottom and corner pockets that hook under the mat. Faint guide lines hide in the bold prints to help you line up your hands and feet. It washes in the machine and packs small for travel. It's a newer towel with fewer owners so far, and anyone with an extra-long mat should check the maker's size chart first.