Grippy yoga towel
Non-negotiable for hot classes: a wet mat is unsafe in standing balances, and a grip towel is the fix.
Our verdict
If you practise heated styles — hot Vinyasa, the Bikram 26 — this isn't optional. A sweat-slicked mat in a standing balance is a genuine injury risk, and a microfibre towel with a grippy underside is the standard fix: it grips harder as it gets damp, which is exactly the property you need. The counterintuitive catch is that the same towel is slippery bone-dry, so it needs a light misting at the start of an unheated practice. Outside hot rooms, its other honest job is protecting a good mat from sweat.
Find Grippy yoga towel on Amazon
FeelYoga is an Amazon Associate. If you buy through these links we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list gear we'd recommend anyway, and we link to searches rather than specific listings so nothing here goes stale.
Buy it if…
- You take heated classes — this is closer to safety equipment than accessory.
- You sweat heavily even in unheated practice and your hands slide by mid-session.
- You practise on shared studio mats and would rather touch your own surface.
Skip it if…
- You practise unheated and don't sweat much — the towel adds a shifting layer you don't need.
- Your actual problem is a slippery mat, not sweat; better to fix the mat itself.
What to look for
We link to a search, not a specific listing — models change faster than reviews do. These are the things that actually matter when you compare what comes up:
- Mat-size (roughly 72" × 24") — hand towels don't solve the standing-pose problem.
- Silicone-dotted or textured underside so the towel stays put on the mat.
- Corner pockets that wrap the mat's ends are a small feature that stops the worst sliding.
Poses where this helps
Questions people ask
- Why is it slippery when dry?
- Microfibre grip activates with moisture. In a hot class your sweat handles it within minutes; for dry practice, mist the hand and foot zones with water first.
- Can it replace a mat?
- Over a studio's mat, yes — that's its main use. Directly on a hard floor it offers no cushioning and slides; you still need a mat underneath.
Decided it's for you?
Find Grippy yoga towel on Amazon
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Related gear
- Wrist wedge— Reduces the wrist angle in plank, chaturanga, and arm balances. Worth trying before concluding your wrists can't do this.
- Yoga knee pad— A folded blanket does the same job, but this is tidier for kneeling poses and low lunges if your knees are sensitive.