8 Best Bath Towels of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Our Top Bath Towel Picks

• Best Overall: Parachute Classic Turkish Cotton Towel
• Best Waffle: Parachute Waffle Towel
• Best Plush: Brooklinen Super-Plush Bath Towel
• Best Ribbed: Boll & Branch Spa Bath Towel
• Best Lightweight: Brooklinen Ultralight Bath Towel
• Best Absorbent: Pottery Barn Hydrocotton Organic Quick-Dry Towel
• Best Quick-Dry: Everplush Diamond Jacquard Bath Towel
• Best Patterned: Anthropologie Merida Towel
• Best Monogrammed: Crane & Canopy Plush Towel With Monogram
• Best Organic: Coyuchi Cloud Loom Organic Towel
• Best Turkish: West Elm Organic Turkish Tassel Towel
• Best Kids: The Company Store Kids Hooded Towel
• Best Budget: IKEA SALVIKEN Bath Towel
• Best Set: Brooklinen Classic Towel Move-In Bundle
• Best Sheet: Parachute Classic Turkish Cotton Bath Sheet

The linen shelf life of a bath towel isn’t as long as you think. Like pillows, towels are one of those household items that look fine but might be harboring bacteria. If your towels have that faint damp basement smell — even after washing — it’s time to toss. While you can extend the life of a cheap bath towel by avoiding fabric softeners and not drying on towel bars instead of hooks, it’s best to start with quality, durable bath towels that dry quickly. We’ve rounded up our favorite towels for every style and budget, from cozy waffle towels to luxurious plush towels. Take a look at our picks below and outfit your bathroom with these top-rated towels.

How We Tested

To find the best bath towels, we researched and compared top-rated towels from popular brands and retailers to select 20 towels to test. After ordering all of the towels, a team of four editors compared them in a lab setting to observe softness, plushness, stitching and size. Grouping similar towels together, we sent home a handful of towels with four different editors for at-home testing. Each editor washed the towels according to manufacturer settings, noting any loose threads or signs of wear post-wash.

To test absorbency and dry time, we poured four cups of water in a bathtub and sopped up the water with a towel, noting if the towel pushed the water around or soaked up the liquid immediately. We observed if the towel felt completely soaked, if it dripped water when holding it up and if it felt like it could have held a lot more liquid. We then hung the towels to dry and checked in on them at regular intervals until they were completely dry.

To test size and coverage, we wrapped the towels around our bodies and noted if any were awkwardly too short or not long enough to wrap comfortably around bodies of different sizes.

Each tester then used the bath towels for day-to-day use like for drying their bodies after showers and drying their hands after washing.

How to Choose the Best Bath Towel

Turkish? Plush? Organic? What makes a towel good? One way to measure quality is GSM, grams per square meter. GSM is a lot like sheet thread count or silk momme count. The higher the GSM, the more dense the towel is and the better quality, which also means more expensive. Anything under 400 GSM won’t be very absorbent post-shower, and it also won’t be that soft. Most medium-weight towels fall between 400 and 620 GSM. Super plush 620 to 900 GSM towels are typically sold as luxury linens, and, oh, are they soft! They’re so heavy, and they take forever to dry, which is an open invitation for mold.

Beyond GSM, the material is important to consider. Most bath towels are made from cotton, though modal and bamboo are gaining interest. The world of cotton is vast, and there are a lot of words used to describe towels. Terrycloth isn’t a type of cotton, but a weaving technique that uses cotton to expose loops and make the fabric more absorbent. Turkish cotton, however, is a specific type of cotton, and it’s often called out in product names because Turkish cotton is considered the best quality in the world. However, sometimes retailers will get sneaky and call towels “Turkish-style” or simply put the word Turkish in front of product names when towels aren’t even made from cotton. Always check the product description to verify that towels are 100 percent Turkish cotton.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should you wash bath towels?

About once a week or every 3-5 uses.

How long do bath towels last? / How often should bath towels be replaced?

About two to five years, depending on use.

What's the best way to dry towels?

Since the faster towels dry, the less likelihood they'll harbor bacteria or develop a mildewy smell, drying towels on a towel bar versus on hooks will allow more airflow to a bigger surface area.

How should you wash and care for bath towels?

Follow the manufacturer's suggestions, but avoiding fabric softener and using too much detergent can help prevent towels from getting dingy.

Best Overall Bath Towel

Parachute's Classic Turkish Cotton Towels check all the boxes. At 700 GSM, these towels are fluffy without being too heavy. They're made from 100-percent Turkish cotton and come in six different serene colors. If you need more convincing, just look at the 1,000+ five-star reviews. The towels have been dubbed everything from the "perfect bath towel" to the "best purchase ever."

Best Waffle Bath Towel

If you love waffle robes and PJs, you can get the same cozy vibes with waffle towels. Parachute's waffle bath towels are just as lightweight as a waffle robe with 240 GSM. And they come in some seriously gorgeous neutrals such as the new terra cotta color.

Best Plush Bath Towel

Nothing says spa-style at home more like a big, fluffy bath towel. There's just something incredibly luxurious and relaxing about wrapping yourself up in a towel that's as thick as a blanket. Brooklinen's Super-Plush Bath Towels have a whopping 820 GSM and truly feel like a weighted blanket for your bathroom. Even better: They have a handful of trendy colors beyond typical neutrals, from vibrant pine to an incredibly serene ocean blue.

Best Ribbed Bath Towel

If you like the idea of cozy waffle towels but want something that's plusher, Boll & Branch's Spa Towel is the best of both worlds. The organic cotton ribbed channels are ultra-absorbent and feature incredibly fluffy yarn.

Best Lightweight Bath Towel

Plush towels are super soft, but they're also super heavy. If you don't want your towels to feel like weighted blankets, check out Brooklinen's Ultralight towels. These are only 320 GSM, but they're made with 100-percent Turkish cotton.

Best Absorbent Bath Towel

This is one of PB’s best-selling towels, to the point that fans are sharing Instagrams just of their towels. While the manufacturer weave is quicker-drying than other plush towels, it's also fast-absorbing. Like really, really fast. If you want a towel that’s actually a giant sponge, this is your buy. And it comes in more than a dozen colors, from soft neutrals to preppy pastels.

Best Quick-Dry Bath Towel

While ultra-plush towels dry your skin fast, they retain all that moisture and can take hours to fully dry. Alternatively, quick-dry towels absorb fast and dry fast. This is because most quick-dry towels use a cotton-polyester blend of microfibers. Everplush towels have earned rave reviews from Amazon shoppers for their loom within a loom system. Think of it as a soft cotton towel with a quick-dry core. But pet owners beware: Microfiber holds pet hair just as well as water. Several reviews note that these towels are like sticky pads for dog hair.

Best Patterned Bath Towel

Towels don't have to be boring. Anthropologie has a series of funky, 70s-inspired bath towels that we're obsessed with, and over at Society6, you can shop printed bath towels from designers all around the world. The towel possibilities are endless.

Best Monogram Bath Towel

Love a good monogram? Crane & Canopy has a nifty preview tool that lets you see exactly how each style and thread color will look on their super-soft 600 GSM towels.

Best Organic Cotton Bath Towel

More and more big retailers are committing to organic cotton, but we love Coyuchi's organic cotton towels because the company’s packaging is sustainable, too. The Cloud Loom towel is made from 100-percent organic Turkish cotton and, true to name, is incredibly fluffy.

Best Turkish Bath Towel

In addition to Turkish cotton, Turkish towels have become popular as everyday bath towels. And while a Turkish towel could be made from Turkish cotton, a Turkish towel refers to the style of the towel. Also known as Fouta or Hammam towels, these super-thin towels could be mistaken for a beach wrap, but don't let the lightweight design fool you. Turkish towels absorb just as well as thick towels, they dry even faster and take up less space. These tassel towels from West Elm are under $30 and have matching hand towels, too.

Best Kids' Bath Towel

If the bathtime/bedtime routine with your kiddos feels like an absolute odyssey, cool towels from The Company Store might help. Not only do these designs, from dinos to superheroes, make bathtime fun, but the 100-percent cotton terrycloth is super absorbent — even the hood — which makes drying time faster.

Best Budget Bath Towel

If you're in need of new bath towels but you're on a strict budget, the IKEA SALVIKEN is a great deal at just $9 a towel. At 500 GSM, these towels are pretty thin but feature a dual design to please multiple tastes. One side is a flat waffle and the other is scruffy terry.

Best Bath Towel Set

Shopping for more than just a couple of towels? Brooklinen has move-in bundles that are perfect for wedding showers, housewarming gifts or just overhauling your linen closet. Each bundle includes four towels, four hand towels, four washcloths and it even includes a matching bath mat! And when you bundle, you can save up to 17 percent on individual towel prices so there’s a perk in stocking up. Any of Brooklinen’s signature towels are available to bundle, from waffle to our favorite plush. If you don't need a bath mat, you can create your own Brooklin towel bundle on Amazon with bath towels, bath sheets, hand towels and washcloths.

Best Bath Sheet

If you've scrolled through this entire guide and thought, "Sounds great, but I want more terry square footage," say hello to bath sheets. Yep, these babies are so big they're not even called towels. Our favorite bath sheet is from Parachute. It's everything we love about Parachute's classic towel, but bigger. Check out our full round-up of bath sheets for every style and budget.