Depending on your schedule, bath towels are an item you’ll use nearly every day—so oftentimes, it’s worth it to splurge. Out of the dozens of towels we've tested, Boll & Branch’s Plush Bath Towel is one of our top choices for its quality construction, impressive performance, and thoughtful design. Made with organic long-staple cotton, these towels have a soft and plush feel you’ll appreciate use after use. Even after multiple runs through the washer and dryer, this towel continued to feel like a luxury product. This towel has maintained its softness and quality over the course of six months, as the color, tassels, texture, and stitching all look and feel great after regular use. However, we did notice that in terms of absorbency and drying time, this towel has fallen short over time. While we’re not sure why this towel changed, we do have doubts regarding its longevity.

Whereas flat cloth is normally woven with two threads (warp and weft) that sit at right angles to each other, ‘pile’ fabrics like carpets and towels involve a third thread. This extra thread is left loose, whilst the other two are kept taut: when the loose thread is pulled through the dense network of tight threads, it forms loops on either side. The resulting towel material is called terry cloth, a name that is said to have come from the French verbtirer, meaning ‘to pull’.You’ll most commonly see towels made from cotton, thanks to its impressive absorbency and softness. There are several types of cotton towels available, including Egyptian cotton, Turkish cotton, organic cotton, Supima cotton, and more. Egyptian and Turkish cotton towels are the most high-end types you can buy. They are both typically made from long-staple fibers, so they are super soft and absorbent—our softest bath towel, the Restoration Hardware Ultra-Soft Turkish Towel Set, is made from 100 percent long-staple Turkish cotton. Just note that Egyptian and Turkish cotton towels also often carry higher price points than towels made from other materials. We tested this towel in our own homes for three months, and we still love it. The construction quality and absorbency are still excellent, especially compared to other similarly priced options. While not as soft as it was upon arrival, it’s still exceptionally plush. Other than that, the towel remains in excellent shape and has definitely become a favorite. The tufted, looped fabric that we now take for granted has only beenaround in western Europe since about 1840.The method for making towels on hand looms was invented in Turkey, apparently as the accidental result of defective weaving. Manchester-based textile tycoon Henry Christy brought these fabrics to the UK in the mid 1800s, where he promptly copied and industrialised the manufacturing technique. Christy are still producing towels to this day, and are the main supplier to the Wimbledon tennis championships, where most are thrown into the crowd as sweaty mementos for eager fans. You could also do this by hand! Here’s another variation of the same idea, but with a hand-sewn loop. Easy to Sew Towel Hanging Loops – Hand Sewn Method

This towel earned a perfect score in both the absorbency and drying time categories. It dried completely in just about an hour. After following the care instructions, this towel has held up exceptionally well, too. We noted that it looked brand-new after three washes. Additionally, we found the texture became a bit softer and fuzzier post-wash. We also love that the product is GOTS and Made Safe certified, meaning it’s made with organic cotton, in accordance with strict environmental and ethical standards. While it's on the pricey side and won't appeal to folks who love a super-plush towel, we love this lightweight, versatile towel. A soft towel can enhance your bathroom routine, and Restoration Hardware's Ultra-Soft Turkish Towel provides a truly cozy experience. During lab testing, we were immediately impressed by the luxurious texture of this towel. Thread the needle and knot both ends of the thread together, so you’re using a double thread stitch.For a lightweight and highly absorbent bath towel, you can’t go wrong with Coyuchi’s Mediterranean Organic Bath Towel. Like most Turkish bath towels, this product is thinner and less plush than your standard terrycloth towel. While we wouldn't necessarily describe it as super soft from the get-go, we don't think it feels scratchy or rough either. During our testing, we found this towel to have a high-quality construction. The surface features a small waffle weave construction that feels tight and sturdy, and the stitching and seams are smooth and even. Additionally, the towel has tightly twisted tassels at both ends for a stylish flair. The colors on our test towel looked bright, even, and saturated.

Storage & organisation Furniture Textiles Kitchenware & tableware Kitchens Lighting Decoration Rugs, mats & flooring Beds & mattresses Baby & children Smart home Bathroom products Laundry & cleaning Plants & plant pots Home electronics Home improvement Outdoor living Food & beverages Christmas Shop Shop by roomNote that in our lab and at-home tests, we tried out the bath sheet, which is much larger than the average bath towel. However, Lands’ End also offers a towel set, standard bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths in the same style to suit your preferences. Towels are some of our most intimate textiles, touching places that other textiles just don’t reach. This distinctive, plush and mildly abrasive fabric is one that most of us have experienced on a daily basis since childhood. But how well do we really know it?