My favorite bathrobe is so cozy I almost stole it. It came from — of all places — a Kimpton Hotel in Boston, which I’d booked last minute on HotelTonight. It was hanging on the back of the bathroom door; I slipped into it on a Friday … and almost wore it to dinner Saturday. I didn’t steal it, but I did Google and buy one immediately (Kimpton says it’s a hotel exclusive, but you can get it at Bed Bath & Beyond).
Normally, bathrobes in hotel rooms are a little scratchy if you’re not staying at the Ritz, but this was the complete opposite. It’s called the T-Y Group Boxer Bathrobe (so called because it looks like Rocky Balboa’s sweatshirt) and checks boxes I didn’t even know I had. Made of a cotton-poly blend, it’s like the softest sweatshirt in bathrobe form, absorbing all wetness as soon as I step out of the shower. It covers me all the way down to my ankles — I’m five-foot-one — and fits basically everyone. I’m a plus-size woman who typically wears a half-open robe because most don’t close all the way, but this one not only covers everything but wraps around for extra peace of mind (it’s marked a unisex large but fits more like an XXL).
I’ve developed my own little post-shower routine. I’ll put on my robe, wrap my hair in a Turbie Twist, and pull on the hood (yes, there’s a hood) while watching TV. I can walk down the hall or answer the door or lounge on the couch for hours without feeling the least bit exposed. Like a college hoodie, it’s warm, but not fuzzy or too thick, so it never makes me sweat. And unlike a delicate silk robe, it can be thrown in the washing machine — the more you wash it, the better it actually gets. I’ll wear it even when I haven’t just showered — I’m in it as I type this, over sweatpants, a T-shirt, and socks.
The robe is sold out at Bed Bath & Beyond now, but you can still buy it on the Kimpton site.
More Strategist-approved bathrobes
The Parachute bathrobe earned high marks from Dande and the Lion designer Heather Pearson: “The fit is perfect. I wear a size small and the sleeve length is so perfect, it’s almost as if I had it custom-made. It hits right below my knees.”
Writer Molly Young also has a favorite bathrobe, and it’s actually meant for surfers getting out of the water. She says: “The robe cocooned me so nicely after the ocean, I figured it would do the same after a normal shower, and from here it took its prominent place in my life. The advantages over a bathrobe are numerous: First, the areas of coverage are more comprehensive. The ankle-length robe features long sleeves, a generous hood, and a kangaroo pouch for optional hand-warming (or holding a phone while you roam around the house). Second, a terry bathrobe makes everyone look ten years older and slightly housebound. The aesthetic of the Jedi Robe is part Druid, part surfer, part Star Wars.”
Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, founder of Chillhouse spa on the Lower East Side, owns two of the Snowe bathrobes: “I wear mine after I shower every day. The price is palatable, and I hate when I wear a robe at a hotel that doesn’t actually dry me off — this one does.”
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