towel

 

The Best Bath Towel

The Frontgate Resort Cotton Bath Towel was the softest and most comfortable plush towel we tried. Thicker than our other picks, it feels luxe and substantial, like a high-quality hotel towel. With each wash it felt fuller and plusher, and after a year of use we’ve found that it held up better than any other towel we tested. It comes in a wide range of rich colors—more choices than any pick. It’s also available in a bath-sheet size, and it coordinates with a range of matching accessories, includin

g bath mats and washcloths. If a plush, luxurious towel is what you want, this is a great one.If you want to spend less for plush terry, the Target Fieldcrest Reserve Bath Towel is a good-quality towel at a bargain price. Although it isn’t as soft as the Frontgate, it is thinner and feels lighter to use, and it has a pleasant spring when you squish the terry between your fingers. It travels smoothly over wet skin, and is less clingy than many other terry towels we dried off with. It comes in fewer colors than most of our picks, but we like all five of the subtle neutrals available. It’s as generously 

sized as most terry towels we tried, and also comes in a bath sheet, hand towel, and washcloth.    If you prefer a thinner towel, we recommend the Bed Bath & Beyond Dri-Soft Plus Bath Towel. Some of our testers preferred this towel’s soft, ridged texture and smaller size (folded, it takes up less room than any other terry towel we tested). Although it’s advertised as a quick-dry towel, it didn’t dry faster than the other terry towels we tried. A set of four costs less than $30 at the time of this writing, depending on what color you buy (there are 12 to choose from). That makes it great

 for kids, college students, or anyone on a tight budget. But if you don’t like a very thin towel or if you prefer something with more coverage, this one probably isn’t for you.For a more minimal, upscale look, or if you want a truly quick-drying towel, we recommend The Onsen Bath Towel. This towel is made with a lattice weave (sometimes called waffle or honeycomb), which feels more drapey and thinner than terry. Made of American-grown Supima cotton, The Onsen was the softest and smoothest lattice towel we used. It’s relatively expensive, but costs a fraction of the price of similar towels imported from Japan. Compared with the dozen or so hours it took our terry picks to dry, the Onsen was bone dry after about five hours. Keep in mind that if you prefer plush terry, you may not like the more textured feel of the Onsen.