The best gym towels to keep you feeling fresh AF

We've rated our favourite gym towels - we take them for granted but girl, these are essential.

Happy young woman resting after workout on blue background

by Lily Anderson |
Updated on

Have you decided to set up your own gym at home? Because you’re not alone. Whether you’re doubling up your living room as a studio to follow Joe Wicks' incredible routines or investing in everything, right down to the best protein shakes - it’s essential that we keep up our fitness routines in these strange times. Not only are we consuming way more banana bread and chocolate than normal, but we’re not getting out and about as we were before.

In order to make sure that you remain dedicated to your new workout routine at home, there are lots of fitness accessories that you can treat yourself to – which should make you spring out of bed to get your push-ups and burpees done. The first thing that we think should be on your list is the best gym towels.

If you’re asking yourself why you should invest in a gym towel rather than grabbing one from the cupboard here’s why:

• These towels are usually super absorbent so that you can dab away sweat easier.

• They're usually cheaper than beach or bathroom towels.

• If you're taking a towel into the garden, you might end up getting it dirty and could ruin your good towels.

Now that you’re totally convinced that gym towels are for you, here’s everything that you need to know about them before buying one (or more).

Everything you need to know about gym towels:

Not sure where to start when looking for an at-home gym towel? No problem. We've pulled together a guide on how to make the most of this exercise accessory.

What to do with gym towel?

This is a bit of a tricky question because what you do with your gym towel is completely up to you… Here are some ways we think you should use your gym towels:

• To help you cool down after doing cardio.

• Extra support while practising yoga.

• For jumping in the shower after working out.

• Depending on the size, using it as a sweatband replacement.

What size should a gym towel be?

There is no right answer when it comes to the best size gym towel. Whether you’re looking for a towel to mop your brow with or something to throw around you, then there are lots of choices out there. We’d recommend choosing the size dependant on what you want to use your towel for.

When to wash a gym towel?

According to The Guardian, you should wash yours after every use along with your gym kit. Read the full article here.

Now that you've got all the information you need about gym towels, it's time to find out about all our favourite ones so you can decide which one to buy.

Whilst we may receive commission for purchases made through our links, we never allow this to influence product selections.

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The best gym towels to keep you feeling fresh AF

Eono by Amazon1 of 9

Eono by Amazon

Whether you're practising yoga in the garden or lifting weights in your living room, this fantastic towel will support you every step of the way. We love that it will mop up any amount of sweat and is a great size. Key features:• Size: 140 x 70cm.• Colour: fuchsia. • This towel is made from special microfibre that has an antimicrobial treatment to prevent mould. • The material also makes it super absorbent and quick drying. Our rating: 8/10Review:"Bought one for my husband for the gym. Then he wanted another one. Then I bought one for myself. This is the go-to towel. It's compact, comes in a lovely soft box case and there's a zip on the towel to store locker keys or anything you need to hand."

Adidas Towel Large2 of 9
CREDIT: adidas

adidas Towel Large

Fitness fanatics will love this large towel from adidas. This versatile number is not only made of lightweight fabric, but it will also dry quickly, which is good news for those warmer days. Key features:• Size: 70 x 140cm. • Colour: Black/white or purple/white.• Material: 100 per cent cotton. • It's important to remember to tumble dry on a low heat and not to get this dry cleaned. Our rating: 8.5/10Review: "Very soft cotton, the towel is a pleasure to use after a refreshing shower after a workout."

Personalised Ladies Gym Towel3 of 9
CREDIT: Not On The High Street

Personalised Ladies Gym Towel

Are you looking for a cute towel just for you? This personalised towel literally has your name written all over it. Key features:• Size: 30cm x 90cm.• Colour: black, navy, pink, grey, purple or white.• Material: 100 per cent cotton.• Machine washable at 40 degrees.Our rating: 8/10**We love:**The fact that you can personalise this towel. It means that you'll never get confused around which towel is yours.

SKL Unisex's 3 Pack Instant Ice Gym Quick Dry Microfibre Cooling Sports Towel4 of 9

SKL Unisex's 3 Pack Instant Ice Gym Quick Dry Microfibre Cooling Sports Towel

Are you looking for a bunch of gym towels? Then this cool set is everything. And, we mean everything as it will cool you down - all you need to do is wet it and then benefit from the lower temperature.Key features:• Size: 90 x 30 x 0.3 cm.• Colour: Grey, blue and purple or yellow, blue and pink.• Material: Cotton jersey.• This is fantastic if you're looking to buy a few gym towels but are on a tight budget.Our rating: 9/10Review:"There's nothing magic about these towels other than the material they're made out of, but they really work well. Perfect for keeping cool when running at the gym. They're also really good for cooling down sunburnt legs and shoulders. I'll never go on a sunny holiday without at least a couple of them again."

Fit-Flip Microfibre towel5 of 9

Fit-Flip Microfibre towel

Are you looking to match your gym towel to your décor or just want to buy one that's your favourite colour? Well, you can do just that with all these different options for this gym towel. It's exciting before you even pick up a kettlebell. Key features:• Size: 160 x 80cm (other sizes are available). • Colour: Black, blue, dark grey, green, grey, ocean, purple, red, rose, yellow or olive. • Material: 80% Polyester / 20% Polyamide.• Comes with a 100-day money-back guarantee. ufeffOur rating: 7/10Review:"Brilliant towel, for gym, beach...or home use. Folds VERY small, allowing you to have a much bigger size to dry with, without the folded bulk!"

Microfibre Towel Set6 of 9

Microfibre Towel Set

Last but not least, we have this incredible set of microfibre towels. Want to use this to mop up sweat or to jump in the shower? Then this ticks all the right boxes. Key features:• Size: Bathing towel (140 x 70cm) and hand towel (70 x 40cm).• Colour: Anthracite, blue or pink.• Material: microfibre. • Comes with a mesh carrying bag. ufeffOur rating: 7.5/10Review:"This product offers great value for money. The larger towel is a great size for everyday gym/swim use and folds down into virtually nothing. The feel of the material is nicer than a lot of microfibre towels and is more smooth than 'towely'."

Finest Egyptian cotton face cloth with logo embroidery7 of 9
CREDIT: HUGO BOSS

Finest Egyptian cotton face cloth with logo embroidery

If you're going to work out at home, you should do so in style with this fabulous face cloth. Key features:• Size: 30 x 30cm.• Colour: Anthracite, dark grey, dark blue, green, white, red, light beige, silver, green, blue, turquoise, gold, light yellow and pink. • Material: 100 per cent cotton.• Machine washable: 60 coloured wash.Our rating: 8.5/10**We love:**The incredible quality and designer logo embroidery.

Domyos Small Cotton Fitness Towel - Pink8 of 9
CREDIT: Decathlon

Domyos Small Cotton Fitness Towel - Pink

Bag yourself a budget gym towel that is super soft against the skin and very absorbent.Key features: • Size: 90 cm x 50 cm.• Colour: Blush pink, teal green, dark grey or black.• Material: 100 per cent cotton.• Machine washable: 30° max.Our rating: 7.5/10Review: "Very happy, perfect size for gym workouts."

Aquis Copper Sure Rapid Dry Sport Towel9 of 9

Aquis Copper Sure Rapid Dry Sport Towel

Available in Sweaty Betty's cool camo print, this sweat absorbing towel is made from AQUIS' proprietary moisture-wicking AQUITEX™ fabric weaved with Copper Sure™ technology. It quickly wicks away sweat and moisture and keeps bacteria and odours at bay, even when left at the bottom of your gym bag.Tried & Tested by Deputy Commercial Content Editor, Natalie Corner: "After using hand towels for the gym I upgraded to this microfibre sweat towel by Aquis and can't believe how amazing it is. I sweat a lot and this actually absorbs it so it doesn't feel like my face is still damp unlike other towels I use. The towel itself also isn't dripping wet by the end of my workout too. Very impressed."

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