Choosing the Best Sweat Towel to Keep You Dry at the Gym

white gym sweat towels sitting on counter.

Whether you’re jogging at the park, stretching into warrior pose in yoga class, or doing an intense HIIT workout at the gym, you need an absorbent sweat towel to keep you dry.

But with so many options on the market, what are the best gym towels for wicking away sweat?

In this blog article, we’ll discuss how to choose the right towel to meet all your workout needs and share what to know about shopping for the best quality towels at the best prices.

Why Is a Good Sweat Towel Essential?

According to Popular Science, the average person sweats about 0.7 to 1.5 liters per hour when aggressively working out. A good gym towel can absorb that moisture and keep it from dripping into your eyes or the gym equipment.

If you work out regularly, you need a supply of quality towels specially reserved for the gym. (After all, nobody wants to show up to pilates with a bathroom hand towel.) Gym towels are just the right size for working out and are typically made of microfiber or cotton.

Good absorbency is an essential feature of a good sweat towel. As towels are used and laundered over time, they become less soft and absorbent. Look for premium gym towels that are made to last longer.

What Are the Qualities of a Good Workout Towel?

Whether you’re shopping for personal use or your gym or sports team, you want a sweat towel that is soft, absorbent, and durable enough to withstand frequent washing.

Towels lose fibers and gradually wear out over time. The thicker your towels, the longer they’ll last and stay soft—and the less often you’ll have to replace them. Look for towels that can withstand up to 500 washes. Ringspun cotton provides a smoother touch and is generally more substantial.

3 Benefits of a Sweat Towel

man working out using gym towel

Carrying a towel isn’t only essential for comfort and standard etiquette at the gym or a fitness class. When using the same spaces and equipment as others, you need somewhere to wipe your sweat to keep areas clean and sanitary.

Here are three of the most significant benefits of having a quality sweat towel on hand when working out:

1. Minimizes the Spread of Germs

Working up a sweat is great for your body and health, but sweat also contains bacteria and germs that you can spread to others—which is not so good.

At the gym, microbes can linger on surfaces and transfer from person to person. Using a sweat towel can keep that sweat to yourself and reduce the spread of germs and illnesses.

Your towel will also keep you from wiping sweat from your face with your bare hands, which can be covered with germs you picked up when touching surfaces around the gym.

2. Keeps You From Slipping

With workouts like yoga and pilates, a gym towel can help keep you from slipping on the sweat that drips onto your mat. You can keep it next to you to grab when you need to dry off or lay it across your mat for extra protection.

You can also use your towel to keep slippery hands dry so your downward dog doesn’t result in an embarrassing (and painful) faceplant.

3. Reduces Clogged Pores

When you exercise, sweat, dirt, and oil can accumulate on your face and potentially lead to clogged pores, which can, in turn, cause pimples and blackheads.

Keeping your face dry with a clean sweat towel can limit the oil that accumulates in your pores. Just be sure to hit the showers after your workout to wash away any remaining sweat!

How to Clean Your Gym Towels

To care for your gym towels properly, let them dry before throwing them into the hamper. When you pile up damp towels (especially those damp with sweat), that extra moisture can breed bacteria. Putting wet gym towels in with your other towels and clothes can also transfer bacteria to the other items.

When washing your towels, follow the care instructions on the tag. Different materials call for different water temperatures, detergents, etc. Avoid adding fabric softener in the wash if you’re using a microfiber towel.

Never Share or Reuse Your Workout Towel

If you’ve just done a light workout and only used your sweat towel a little bit, it’s okay to hang up and use it again later, right? Nope, definitely not. You still must wash your gym towel after every use.

Even if you carried it around the gym but never actually wiped any sweat with it, your towel has still been exposed to germs and bacteria and needs to be cleaned before subsequent use.

It’s also a good idea to have separate gym towels for different family members if possible. Even if you’re washing your towels after each use, you can reduce the risk of spreading germs by using your own towels and not sharing them.

FAQs About Sweat Towels

If you have questions about choosing the correct towels for your workout needs, the experts at Texon have the answers. Here are some frequently asked questions.

Which Towels Are Good For Sweat?

Many people prefer smaller towels that are easy to carry around the gym and quickly wipe their face or fitness equipment. Cotton towels like Texon’s color gym towels are compact and highly absorbent after a hard workout.

What Are Sweat Towels Made Of?

Towels for the gym are typically made of cotton, but they can come in a wide range of materials, including lyocell, bamboo, cotton-polyester blend, linen, and synthetic microfibers.

Cotton is the most popular material for gym towels, as it’s highly absorbent, soft to the touch, and very durable. However, some people prefer using microfiber towels at the gym because they’re light, compact, and fast-drying.

Are Cooling Towels Good For Sweat?

Cooling towels have become popular for fitness enthusiasts, especially those who exercise or play sports outside. To cool down, you soak the cooling towel in cold water, wring it out, and wrap it around your neck. While you’ll still need a regular sweat towel to stay dry, a cooling towel can also be nice on a hot day.

What Size is a Sweat Towel?

Most people prefer a compact towel to carry around easily at the gym, but the right towel size really depends on how much you sweat and how you’ll be using the towel.

Standard gym towels come in 16” x 27”, but there are a variety of sizes to choose from. For example, Texon offers unique towels for different activities, like small football towels (4” x 12”) and large bench towels (22” x 44”) for the weight room.

Buy Gym Towels in Bulk and Save

Texon has the perfect towels to meet your needs. Our customers trust us and keep returning because our towels are absorbent, durable, and built to last. Our family-owned, family-run business strives to provide the best products at the best prices.

Texon Has What You Need For the Gym

Get a great deal on bath towels bulk with our online exclusive, advantage pricing for large orders. We also have other items to keep you clean and fresh at the gym, including gym wipes, bath towels, pool towels, and more.

Show Texon Towel Products

You Might Also Like …