I’ve been writing about bath towels for Wirecutter since 2017. As a senior staff writer, I’ve written most of our home-textile guides, from cotton sheets to blankets to duvet covers.

For this guide:

• I interviewed experts in the towel industry and have conducted years of testing with dozens of towels, including using most picks in this guide for several years. The towels we recommend are the towels I would spend (and have spent) my own money on.
• I also built on the research of Melissa Tan and Stephen Treffinger in past versions of this guide

I’ve considered almost 200 towels and tested about 50 different kinds since 2017. After years of talking to experts, researching, and testing towels, I’ve learned a lot about what makes a great one. These are the criteria I look for when deciding what to test and what becomes a pick:

• Absorbency: A towel should first and foremost be effective at drying you off. It should wick water away from your body and into itself, not just push the water around. I look at customer reviews and reader comments for our picks to find towels that do their one real job well.
• Durability: Towels should last through many washes without unraveling or losing their absorbency (avoiding fabric softeners helps with the latter). Pilling, shrinkage, and color fading are normal over time, but these things shouldn’t happen after just a few washes—customer reviews and reader comments help us track this, too.
• Ample body coverage: I look at a towel’s listed measurements to gauge how well it will fit most bodies. After years of testing with people of different heights and sizes, I’ve learned when a towel will feel stingy (or even just too enormous for most people). For example, a towel that’s less than 56 inches long probably won’t wrap completely around a person who wears a women’s size 16—the national average—and a towel that’s less than 30 inches wide might be too short for someone of average men’s height (5-foot-9), depending on their torso length. I also look for towels that come in a bath-sheet size for taller or larger bodies.
• Pleasing texture: A towel should feel comfortable against your skin, whatever that means to you. Some people like super-plush, soft towels, while others prefer thinner, pleasantly scratchy ones. I research online to try and find options for everyone, but I also visit stores including Kohl’s, Target, Macy’s, and JCPenney to touch and feel as many towels as possible before deciding what to test.
• Reasonable drying time: A towel should air-dry quickly enough that it’s ready for your next shower and less prone to developing a mildewy smell.
• Made of 100% cotton (preferably extra-long-staple): Although some people are fans of alternative fibers such as modal and bamboo rayon, the consensus from experts I’ve spoken to, for this guide and others, is that 100% cotton delivers the combination of absorbency, softness, and durability most people want.

For every round of testing I’ve done, I begin by measuring each towel to see if the listed measurements are accurate, and I evaluate the feel and construction. I wash and dry everything once, measure each towel again to check for shrinkage, and look for noticeable fraying, pilling, pulled threads, color fading, or roughness. After eliminating lesser towels at this stage, I use each remaining finalist after a shower, assessing how absorbent and comfortable it is and how well it covers my body (I wear a women’s size 16). Then I time how long it takes the wet towels to air-dry.

After dismissing a few more, I wash the remaining contenders another four times for a total of five laundry cycles. (In my experience, five washes is enough to make sure that all softeners added by the manufacturers are gone and the towel’s true feel is coming through.) And finally, I check each towel again for fraying, pilling, pulled threads, color fading, and roughness, and I shower with them again to gauge absorbency. I also review reader feedback on our picks, and check customer reviews periodically to note any complaints or issues to monitor.

Top pick

Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towel

Thick and luxurious

This is the softest towel we’ve ever tested—like a plush towel from a luxury hotel—and it comes in a wider variety of colors than any other we’ve found. But it’s gone up in price over the years.

$49 from Frontgate

Why it's great

The Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towel has been our top pick since 2017, and it’s the best terry towel I’ve tested.

It’s absorbent (and stays that way through countless washes). After seven years of testing and countless showers, our original Frontgate test towels have maintained their absorbency and cozy warmth. I’ve tested several newer Frontgate towels since, and they all perform just as well after a shower. I trust their consistent quality and performance.

Frontgate towels are the densest, softest I’ve ever tried. I’ve spent far too much time in testing just squishing our pick from Frontgate with my fingers because it’s so soft and dense. It feels plush and extravagant to use, and it’s made from smooth, long-staple Turkish cotton. Only the Onsen Waffle Bath Towel is made with a higher-quality cotton (extra-long-staple Supima cotton). Like all of our picks, the Frontgate towel is also Oeko-Tex certified.

They last for years. After my initial test washes in 2017, the Frontgate test towel looked almost new and actually felt better than it did straight out of the package. I’ve now tested three additional, brand-new Frontgate towels in subsequent rounds of testing over the years, and they’ve all been consistently fantastic through many washes.

At this point, all of our Frontgate test towels have been through scores of washes and years of continuous everyday testing. Their color has faded a little, but the construction on these towels is impeccable, and they have almost no pulls or snags.

This towel comes in more colors than any other towel we recommend. The Frontgate towel is available in about two dozen rich, saturated colors, which means it should work for almost any bathroom’s decor.

Frontgate also makes bath sheets and coordinating accessories, including hand towels, washcloths, and bath mats (also a pick in our guide to the best bathroom rugs and bath mats), if you want to kit out your entire bathroom.

It’s a staff favorite. It’s developed a slight cult following among our staff members and has had consistently high customer reviews for years. Of all the picks I’ve made, in all the guides I’ve written for Wirecutter, the Frontgate towel is the one I hear people rave about the most.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• It isn’t cheap. The price has also steadily increased since we first recommended the towel (it was around $30 when we first tested it in 2017). But Frontgate always has several sales each year, so it’s not unusual to find it for about $10 cheaper. If you’re turned off by the price, we recommend waiting for a sale.
• It’s a thick, bulky towel. If you know you prefer thinner, lightweight towels, it might feel overwhelming and cloying to use. It might also be too soft for people who like towels that are pleasantly scratchy. Because it's so hefty, air-drying times vary depending on the climate where you live. To prevent bacteria from moving in and making themselves at home, you may need to wash your Frontgate towel more often if you live in a humid or wet climate.

Budget pick

Threshold Spa Plush Towel

Soft, thick, cheap

Of all the budget towels we’ve ever tested, this one comes the closest to the plush, luxurious feel of our longstanding top pick. It doesn’t age as well, though.

$14 from Target

Why it's great

Target’s Threshold Spa Plush Towel is the best terry towel I’ve tested under $20. Our budget towel picks frequently get discontinued, so if you like it I wouldn’t wait to stock up.

It’s plush like our top pick, but it is a fraction of the price. If you like a thick, soft towel, the Spa Plush is the closest I’ve found to our longtime favorite from Frontgate. It feels smooth on the body, and in testing it was especially soft on the face (and I have sensitive skin). The Spa Plush is luxurious like the Frontgate, but I could buy three of them for about the same price as one of our top pick.

It’s absorbent and dries surprisingly fast. In my shower testing the Spa Plush soaked up water quickly and was one of the first to feel dry enough to use again. After about 14 hours on a hot, dry, summer day in the Pacific Northwest, it felt just a little bit damp. Our other budget pick, Target’s (much thinner) Casaluna Waffle Towel, was still wet.

It’s well made and comes with Target’s excellent return policy. The Spa Plush has neater stitching and straighter edges than other under-$20 towels I tested. After several washes, there were no loose threads around the edges or snagged terry loops. It carries the Made in Green certification from Oeko-Tex, and because it’s one of Target’s own brands, it also comes with a generous one-year return policy.

It’s available in almost a dozen colors, and it also comes in larger bath sheet size (Target calls it “oversized”) as well as hand towels and washcloths.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• They're not super durable. These towels don’t hold up as well in the wash over time as the Frontgate towels do. And they pick up a good amount of lint. But they definitely maintain their softness better than other budget-friendly towels I’ve tried, and they don’t unravel or snag as easily.
• They're on the smaller side. They’re also a couple of inches shorter than the Frontgate (this is also typical of less expensive towels), so if you like the feeling of wrapping up in a big, comfy towel, you might want to upgrade to the oversize (bath sheet) Spa Plush size.

Budget pick

Casaluna Waffle Bath Towel

Well made, affordable waffle towel

This inexpensive waffle towel is great and washes beautifully. It doesn’t come in as many colors as our other picks, though, and it’s not as soft as terry.

$11 from Target

Why it's great

If you prefer a waffle towel to traditional terry, Target’s Casaluna Waffle Towel is a great option, and it’s similar in price to the Threshold Spa Plush. As with the Spa Plush, our budget-pick towels are frequently discontinued, so we recommend stocking up on this one if you like it.

It’s a solid budget-friendly alternative to our Onsen pick. Like our upgrade pick from Onsen, the Casaluna Waffle is light and springy, and it has a coarser texture than terry, if you prefer a little bite to your towel. It’s longer than most similarly priced terry towels, and it’s stretchier and lighter, so it stays put when you wrap up in it while getting ready. These towels fold up smaller than our terry picks, so they’re also easier to store. And, as you can with our other budget pick from Target, you can buy three Casaluna Waffle towels for about the same price as a single Onsen.

It’s absorbent and well made. It’s one of the most absorbent towels I’ve tried, soaking up water with a single pass over the skin. There were one or two loose threads here and there around the edges, but overall its construction was excellent for the price. And after multiple washes and showers, the waffle weave didn’t snag or pull. Our test towel still looks almost new.

It also comes with Target’s generous return policy. The Casaluna Waffle carries the Made in Green certification from Oeko-Tex as well as Target’s one-year return policy for its own brands. It’s available in half a dozen colors, but it comes in only one bath size (a hand towel is also available).

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Not everyone will like their texture. Like most waffle or lattice towels I’ve tested, the Casaluna Waffle is scratchier than our terry picks. It didn’t feel pleasant on my face during shower testing.
• It also takes a while to dry. Although the Spa Plush terry towel was ready to use again after about 14 hours of air-drying, the Casaluna Waffle still felt cold and wet to the touch.

Upgrade pick

Riley Spa Bath Towel

Rich texture, modern design

If you find hotel-style towels too bulky and prefer a more modern feel in the bathroom, this towel looks chic and feels fantastic on the skin. It’s one of the most expensive terry towels we’ve ever tested, though.

$60 from Riley Home

Why it's great

If you prefer terry but don’t like thick, super-soft towels—or if you want a terry towel with a little more style—we recommend the Riley Spa Bath Towel.

It’s thin (for terry), with great texture when you run it across your skin. That doesn’t mean it’s a rough towel, though. The Riley and the Frontgate towels are the same weight—700 grams per square meter—but when you look across the surface of the plush Frontgate towel, you see densely packed, fluffy terry. When you look across the surface of the Riley towel, you can see individual terry loops, each with room to move on its own. You can feel each one when you run your fingers over the towel or swipe it across your back. It feels almost ticklish, but not quite. It’s wonderfully tactile if you like a towel with a little more bite to it but don’t want something with a slight scratch (like the Onsen towel).

It folds relatively compactly. The Riley Spa Bath Towel folds up smaller than the Frontgate towel, so it takes up less space on a shelf, but it’s still nice and big for wrapping around the body. Like all of our picks, it comes in a bath-sheet size for more coverage.

It’s quick to absorb water, yet it dries faster than the Frontgate towel. The Riley towel is about as absorbent as our pick from Frontgate and feels efficient and satisfying to dry off with. Because it’s much thinner than the Frontgate towel, it also air-dries faster. When we tested the two against each other during a wet winter in the Pacific Northwest, the Riley towel air-dried in about 20 hours. The Frontgate towel took more than 24 hours.

It has a modern design. The Riley towel is one of the best-looking styles I’ve tested. Most terry towels have a dobby—a strip of flat-woven fabric—at either end. The Riley towel is terry across the entire surface, giving it a far less traditional look than most terry towels. It also has rounded edges, with a loop on one side for hanging on a bathroom hook. It has a great drape compared with our other picks, which adds to its modern, unfussy feel. It’s made with long-staple Egyptian cotton, and like our other picks, it’s Oeko-Tex certified.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• It may be hard to find sometimes. If you shop a sale, be prepared for potential shipping delays but we’ve also noticed that a lot of the towel colors are periodically out of stock.

Upgrade pick

Onsen Waffle Bath Towel

Quick-drying lattice

This textured towel is lighter, drapes better, and dries faster than any terry towel we tried. It looks luxurious and unfussy but the texture might not be for everyone.

$90 from Huckberry
(set of two)

Why it's great

If plush terry towels feel too heavy or if you want a towel that dries quickly, you may like the thinner texture of a lattice weave (sometimes called a waffle or honeycomb weave); the Onsen Waffle Bath Towel is the best one we’ve tried.

It’s as absorbent as a terry towel, with a coarser texture. A Wirecutter pick since 2018, the Onsen towel absorbs water quickly, moves smoothly over the body, and has just a hint of roughness that feels pleasant, perfect for scratching an itch on your back that you just can’t reach. It’s also been my daughter’s favorite towel since we first tested it when she was six—as a kid with sensory-processing issues, she loves the tickle of its texture and its almost weightless feel.

It dries much faster than any other towel I’ve tested. Thick terry towels take anywhere from 15 to 24 hours to air dry, depending on the time of year and climate; after a morning shower during testing, the Onsen felt bone dry by lunchtime, roughly five hours later. It’s thin, and its weave allows for lots of airflow.

It’s less plush, but it takes up less space on the shelf. It’s not as warm as our terry picks—which matters if you like to feel cozy when wrapping up in a towel—but the Onsen towel folds up smaller and takes up less space in your linen closet, a plus if you’re cramped for storage.

It’s our only towel pick made of 100% Supima cotton. Supima is extra-long-staple cotton grown in the United States and known for its durability and softness. An Onsen rep told me that instead of the chemical-softening process terry towels go through, Onsen towels are washed at specific temperatures and for multiple cycles to soften them (part of a process called garment washing). Like all of our picks, the Onsen towel is Oeko-Tex certified.

Unlike other lattice towels, it’s very soft. I’ve tested it against some Japanese lattice towels, like the iconic linen-cotton Kontex (Rikumo) towel, and it’s a lot less scratchy on the skin (and much less expensive). It’s one of the few waffle towels I’ve seen that’s generously sized and comes in a bath-sheet size.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• It's not cheap. $50 for a towel is a tall ask, but the Onsen towel is still less expensive than other high-end waffle towels we’ve considered. If you’re not sure if you’ll like a waffle towel, and you don’t want to spend that much, try our budget waffle pick, the Target Casaluna Waffle.
• It can sometimes snag on jewelry. One of our staffers who has an Onsen towel told me, “Once in a while, I’ll catch a bracelet or ring in the loose weave—which is annoying—but I love the feel of it so much that it’s worth it to me to pay a little extra attention while drying off.”

If you want a classic terry towel that isn’t as plush as our pick from Frontgate: Garnet Hill’s Signature Egyptian Cotton Towels have ranked well in our tests (we’ve tested them twice), and they come in beautiful colors. They’re thinner than our terry picks, and slightly less absorbent, but they’re comfortable to use, and they hold up in the wash. If the Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towel is sold out, or you want to spend a little less, it’s a good choice.

If you want a good budget towel and our other picks are unavailable: Target’s Casaluna Organic Bath Towel and IKEA’s Fredriksjön Bath towel were our next-best budget contenders. The Casaluna towel is GOTS-certified organic cotton, and it comes in eight subdued colors. It was more absorbent than the Threshold Spa Plus towel, but it pulled and snagged more after several washes. The Fredriksjön Bath towel has a nice heft, and it maintains its color and feel through several washes, but it was rougher and a little heavier than our budget terry pick.

If you’d like a softer waffle towel: Parachute’s Waffle Bath Towel costs about the same as the Onsen Waffle Bath Towel, but it has a gentler feel on the skin. Our adult testers didn’t love the feel—it clung more to wet skin when drying off—but our kid tester loved it for its softness, larger size, and light weight. Five years later, it’s still in her regular bathroom rotation, and it’s still in great shape.

Towel labels and descriptions are often full of industry terms that may be unfamiliar, but they can help you figure out how the towel was made, what it’s made of, and how it may feel to use:

Long-staple/extra-long-staple cotton: As with other home textiles, such as sheets, the best towels are made from long-staple or extra-long-staple (ELS) cotton, which produces smoother, stronger yarns. (A staple is a length of cotton fiber or thread.) “The longer the staple length, the smoother the yarn is going to be,” Rick Basinger, director of innovation and quality assurance at 1888 Mills, told me. Generally, long-staple fibers range from 1.125 to 1.25 inches, while ELS fibers are 1.375 inches or longer. Basinger said long-staple cotton is also the most flexible, which increases longevity.

Turkish/Egyptian/Pima/Supima cotton: Labels that say Turkish, Egyptian, Pima, or Supima (the brand name for American Pima) usually indicate long-staple or ELS cotton, all of which originate from the same species (Gossypium barbadense) of extra-long-staple cotton. Be aware, though, that some manufacturers use terms like “Egyptian cotton” and “Turkish cotton” to sell inferior, shorter-staple cotton. You can read more about cotton quality in this blog post.

Combed and ring-spun cotton: High-quality towels are often made from cotton that’s been combed to remove impurities and linty fibers, or ring spun, a specific spinning process requiring long-staple cotton that creates finer, smoother strands of yarn.

GSM: A towel’s weight is measured in grams per square meter; thick terry towels generally have a higher GSM than airy waffle towels. It’s become a less common measurement over the past few years: Thinner, lower-quality terry towels rarely include it on labels or in product descriptions, and we don’t often see it used for waffle towels at all. Plush terry towels, frequently advertised as hotel-style towels, still tend to include GSM as a sign of luxury. It’s typically a high number, at least 600 GSM—these towels have more terry loops in them than cheaper towels, making them thicker, heavier, and more expensive.

Oeko-Tex: An Oeko-Tex certification ensures that the fabric is free from certain substances and processes that may be harmful to people and the environment. Most items we test have the Standard 100 certification that addresses substances in the fabric, but Oeko-Tex also has two more rigorous standards: Made in Green, for textiles manufactured in environmentally-friendly facilities with fair labor practices, and an organic cotton certification.

Manufacturers typically treat towels with a variety of finishes, such as fabric softener, to make them feel fluffy and soft in the store. These coatings can leave a waxy buildup that makes the towel less absorbent, so wash new towels before using them. We found that these softeners usually wash out by the fifth wash. Using fabric softener at home every once in a while (if your towels feel scratchy) is fine, but try to avoid using softeners regularly.

Similarly, using too much detergent can make your towels feel stiff and cause a buildup of residue. Wirecutter’s appliance team advises no more than 2 tablespoons of detergent per load for modern washing machines. While hot water does prevent white towels from getting dingy, it will fade colors more quickly, so wash your brightly colored towels in warm or cold. For more details, you can read our piece on how (and how often) to wash your towels.

We’ll be testing more waffle and lattice towels soon, including Brooklinen’s recently redesigned Dreamweave Waffle Towel, West Elm’s Waffle Towels, Hawkins New York’s Simple Waffle Towel, Slowtide’s Guild Waffle Towel, and Quince’s Waffle Terry Bath Towel, which is waffle on one side and terry on the other.

We’re also looking into testing more plush terry towels like Quince’s Turkish Ultra Luxe Plush Bath Towels and Matouk’s Milagro Towels.

And, we’re planning to expand our testing into new towel styles we haven’t covered in depth before, like linen. We also plan to test more patterned towels like Brooklinen’s Checkered Jacquard Bath Towels, Hawkins New York’s Space Dye Terry Towels, and Tekla’s Striped Bath Towels.

Terry

Riley’s Plush Bath Towel and Brooklinen’s Super-Plush Bath Towel are more plush and luxe than the Target Threshold Signature Spa Bath Towel when they’re new, but they lose more of their softness after a few washes.

Kohl’s The Big One Solid Bath Towel is the best towel I’ve tested under $10, but it is still scratchier and flimsier than our picks. Still, it could be a good option for stocking up a first apartment or college dorm.

JCPenney’s Fieldcrest Heritage Oversized Spa Bath Towel wasn’t as plush as previous Fieldcrest towels we’ve tested (they have often been budget picks in this guide), but it certainly wasn’t the worst towel in our 2023 tests.

Authenticity50’s Essential Cotton Bath Towels weren’t bad, and the towels are made in the United States. But they haven’t been reliably available since 2020.

We tested Target's Threshold Performance Plus Towel in 2024. It comes in tons of colors, but it felt cheaper, scratchier, and less absorbent than our budget picks.

We tested Target’s Room Essentials Everyday Bath Towel in 2021 as a possible budget pick, but it was thin and not very absorbent. It also took as long to dry as the thickest terry—about 24 hours on a wet winter day in Washington state.

We’ve tested the Snowe Classic Bath Towel twice and, although it’s soft, it clings to wet skin and isn’t as absorbent as our picks.

The Parachute Classic Turkish Cotton Towel was a nice, average towel in our 2017 testing, but Parachute’s waffle towel is better.

The Utopia Towels 600 GSM Luxury Bath Towel from Amazon was absorbent in our 2021 shower tests, but it was too small, and after five washes our test towel looked like it was falling apart.

JCPenney’s Home Expressions Bath Towel felt cheap, thin, scratchy, and too small in our 2023 tests.

In our 2023 tests, Target’s Room Essentials Bath Towel felt more like drying off with a rough washcloth.

We tried the Amadeus Turkish Bath Towel collection in 2021 to see how towels from a real hotel supplier would perform in our tests. Not great, as it turns out. These are considered premium hotel-room towels, the highest-quality designation by this supplier’s definition, but they were noticeably rough and cheap. One towel arrived stuck to itself, and when I pulled to unfold it, several strands of terry snagged right away. It didn’t make it past the initial feel test out of the package.

Caro Home’s Microcotton Luxury Bath Towel 600 GSM was an early upgrade pick in this guide years ago, but in 2017 it didn’t perform as well. It felt thin and wasn’t as absorbent as we’d like.

The Lands’ End Premium Supima Cotton Bath Towel, another early pick in this guide (a runner-up option), didn’t absorb well in our 2017 tests, and we thought it clung to the body too much.

The L.L.Bean Premium Cotton Bath Towel was the fastest-drying terry towel in our first timed test in 2017—it dried in about 10 hours. But it was rough and uncomfortable to use.

In past years we’ve also tested and dismissed the following: the Chakir Turkish Linens Premium Bath Towel, the Pottery Barn Hydrocotton Organic Quick-Drying Towel, the Restoration Hardware 802-Gram Turkish Bath Towel, The Company Store Green Earth Quick-Dry Towel (which may have been redesigned since we first tested it), the Made Here by 1888 Mills Bath Towel, the now-discontinued Nordstrom Hydrocotton Bath Towel, the Amazon Pinzon Heavyweight Luxury Cotton Bath Towel, the IKEA Fräjen Bath Towel, the L.L.Bean Egyptian Cotton Towel, the Royal Velvet Signature Soft Bath Towel, and the Target Fieldcrest Spa Solid Bath Towel.

Lattice

The Rikumo Vintage Waffle Towel, a classic lattice towel, has been produced in Imabari, Japan, since the 1930s. It’s imported to the United States through a company called Morihata, which sells it to several stores, as well as through its retail site Rikumo. (If you see any of these names credited to an imported Japanese lattice towel—Kontex, Morihata, Rikumo—it’s all the same towel.) It’s a linen-cotton blend, which made it feel scratchier on the skin than the Onsen towel, and it was more clingy while toweling off. We’ve also noticed that this towel is frequently out of stock, a common issue with imports, and it’s very expensive.

The Gilden Tree Modern Style Bath Towel was as absorbent as the other lattice towels we tested but uncomfortable to use. It felt like drying off with a thick, rough dish towel.

We also tested an older, now-discontinued version of Brooklinen's waffle towel, made of the same material as their waffle robe, a pick in our guide to the best robes.

This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Christine Ryan.