How Much Should You Spend on Bath Towels? I Reviewed 5 Brands from Low-End to Luxury to Help You Decide!
When it comes to bath towels, is spending more worth it?
I recently asked the Hip2BeHome team how much they spend on bath towels. Interestingly, the replies were all over the board (keep reading for their feedback and recommendations at the bottom of this post). With so many price points and brand options, which bath towels are really worth the spend?
I purchased 5 brands of bath towels to analyze them.
There’s no better way to examine multiple items than a true side-by-side comparison. With this in mind, I bought five different towel sets at different price ranges for a thorough and thoughtful comparison and to gauge whether spending more on bath towels is actually worth it. I’m grading each set based on a few unique factors, using a star rating from 1-5.
Madison Park Signature Solid 8-Pc. Towel Set
Purchased from Macy’s. Retail price $130. (Purchased on sale for $69.99.)
Product Details:
- Set includes: two bath towels (30″ x 54″), two hand towels (16″ x 28″) and four washcloths (13″ x 13″)
- Fabric: all cotton
- Jacquard hem
- Machine washable
Softness & Plushness ⭐⭐⭐
Quality & Durability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Value (for the price) ⭐⭐⭐
Charter Club Elite Hygro Cotton 6-Pc. Towel Set
Purchased from Macy’s. Retail price $110. (Purchased on sale for $37.99.)
Product Details:
- Set includes: two bath towels (30″ x 56″), two hand towels (18″ x 30″) and two washcloths (13″ x 13″)
- Hygro hollow core yarns become loftier after every wash
- Low lint; fade resistant up to 30 washes; absorbent
- All cotton
- Machine washable
Softness & Plushness ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quality & Durability ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Value (for the price) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Aertex Towel 6pc Set – MicroCotton
Purchased from Target. Retail price $42.49.
Product Details:
- Set includes two bath towel (28″ x 54″), two hand towels (18″ x 28″) and two washcloths (13″ x 13″)
- 100% Cotton
- Terry construction
- Machine washable, tumble dry
Softness & Plushness ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quality & Durability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Value (for the price) ⭐⭐⭐
Soft, Solid Towels by Opalhouse
Purchased from Target. Retail price $29.94. Set of six must be bought individually. (Purchased on sale: bath towel $5/ea, hand towel $4/ea, washcloth $3/ea)
Product Details:
- Bath towels (30″ x 54″), hand towels (16″ x 28″), washcloths (13″ x 13″)
- 100% Cotton
- Terry construction
- Machine washable, tumble dry
Softness & Plushness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quality & Durability ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Value (for the price) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Zeppoli 6-Piece Towel Set
Purchased from Amazon. Retail price $17.99.
Product Details:
- two bath towels (27″ X 54”), two hand towels (16″ X 28”), two washcloths (13″ X 13”)
- 100% Cotton
- Double stitched
- Machine washable
Softness & Plushness ⭐⭐
Quality & Durability ⭐⭐
Overall Value (for the price) ⭐⭐
Who’s the bath towel champion?
Of the five towel brands I tested, Opalhouse was the best value for the price with Charter Club a very close second.
Hip Tip: How often should you wash your bath towel?
You can extend the life of your towels by avoiding unnecessary laundering. It’s recommended that you wash your bath towels after every 3-4 uses.
A few additional things to keep in mind:
- If you’re sick, wash your towel after each use to avoid the spread of germs.
- If a damp towel has been hanging out in a pile in the floor for an extended length of time, wash it. (Lack of airflow encourages bacteria growth.)
- Hang your towel immediately after each use. Proper air circulation encourages faster drying and reduces the risk of mildew and bacteria. Eliminate excess moisture in the air where you hang your towel by leaving the door open, using an exhaust fan, or opening a window.
Our team had a lot to say about bath towels and price points…
I’ve broken down their feedback based on whether they go for the cheapest options (SAVER), look for the solid middle ground (MID-RANGER), or spend the money (SPENDER).
SAVER I like to spend less, so I grab white cheap towels from Walmart. I like to add a little bleach to the wash every so many washings to keep them white. I don’t really care about them. It’s like pajamas for me. I can’t spend on those either—No one sees them LOL! (It’s old tees, leggings, or sweats!) -Amber
SAVER We have super cheap white ones from Amazon. I like to bleach them every now and then, so going with an inexpensive towel that I can be more harsh with is the way to go for me. -Emily
SAVER & SPENDER We have different sets of towels. The guest bathroom and kid’s bathroom have towels that are easily replaceable and they are all white so I can easily clean them. My bathroom is home to high-quality bath sheets that feel great and dry well. -Stacy
MID-RANGER I’m a mid range towel girl. I don’t like the cheapo ones, but I also don’t spend a fortune on them, either. I usually buy nicer brand ones at places like TJ Maxx. -Michelle
MID-RANGER I like the ones from Costco, and I think they’re great (I think $7.99 on sale)! However, my kids tend to accidentally bleach their towels, so now they get cheap white ones. Lol -Mary
MID-RANGER I always buy white towels so they can be bleached. That said, with having kids, towels tend to get used and abused in our house, so I can’t justify spending a ton on them. I do still care about the softness though, so I normally go to Home Goods to find soft, white towels at a decent price. -Sara
MID-RANGER My dream towels are the Turkish ones from Restoration Hardware – but for now I’ll settle for Charisma line from Costco. (See my recent review.) My thing is I don’t like them too small – the larger the better for bath towels! -Lina
MID-RANGER I’m a mid-range girl! Don’t like cheap, but don’t want to spend a ton either. Wash, dry, done. -Jennifer
SPENDER There’s something about wrapping yourself in a high quality towel versus settling for something cheap. As I’ve gotten older, I’m all about the higher-quality items that not only last longer but give you the experience of luxury! -Collin
SPENDER I do spend extra on towels for our family, but not for extra fluffiness. We have a large family & big towels take up so much space. We splurge on Turkish towels from Amazon because they work wonderfully, are thinner, and dry quickly. I love that I can stack a whole lot more in the cabinet. -Holly
SPENDER With younger kids who tend to abuse the linens, I used to spend less, but I’m coming to appreciate that the more I spend on towels, the better the quality appears to be. #LiveAndLearn -Jamie
SPENDER I used to be a cheap towel person, and then my husband got fed up with the towels we had and got rid of ALL of them. We went to Sam’s Club and bought a bunch of new ones, and they were a little more spendy but SO worth it. They are so soft, and I can definitely say I’ll be spending more on towels if these ever start to not be so soft. We’ve had the Sam’s ones for a little over a year now, and there are still just as soft as day 1! -Chelsey
How much do I spend on bath towels?
First, let me preface this by saying that when it comes to bath towels, I’ll 100% spend extra bucks on a high-quality set. (Especially because it’s fairly easy to find luxury towels on sale.)
Here’s why: Upper-end towels are way softer and more absorbent than cheap varieties. The experience of wrapping yourself in a plush, soft towel makes getting out of the shower bearable. Nothing is worse than being cold and wet while attempting to dry off with a thin, rough towel that barely covers your bum.
I also feel strongly that the quality of the actual thread will absolutely extend the life of your towels meaning that paying more up front saves you in the long run from making frequent towel purchases. My overall angle: spend more initially and you’ll not only LOVE your towels, but you’ll also save or break even over time.
When it comes to towels—Are you a SPENDER, a SAVER, or MID-RANGER?
I’d love to hear where you fall when deciding how to drop your hard earned dough. Please let me know in the comments below!
I really like the Vera Wang signature towels from Kohl’s. They absorb well, wash well, & wear well.
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback on the towels you like best! My mom loves those too!
We used to use the Vera Wang bath sheets but switched to the Charisma Soft bath sheets from Costco. They are amazing!
I am a mid-ranger to spender. Some tips for washing- Do not use fabric softener, it makes the towels less absorbent. If you have done outdoor work or the towels are smelly, use white vinegar in the wash cycle. You won’t smell it and it refreshes them!
Oh interesting! Thanks so much for the helpful tips! I’ll have to remember that!
I buy bath and beach towels from Costco. If you have any problems with them, Costco will refund your purchase no matter how long you have owned them.
Good to know! Thanks for sharing with us, Kristina! Glad you have been loving the towels from Costco!
Christmas 2017, H2S posted a deal about a set of towelss from Target for $5. I bought 4 sets. Those are THE best towels. I have ones from WalMart and luxury ones from Macys, I love a good towel. If I could buy more of ones from Target, I would.
How cool! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, Cyndie! I do love Target bedding. I bet I would like their towels too!
Apt. 9 towels from Kohl’s are some of the best towels I’ve ever found. We received a set from Restoration Hardware when we got married. They were nice at first but quickly flattened out. Very disappointing given how expensive I know they were. We also received some towels from Target (not Opalhouse brand) and they shredded so quickly – just awful. Since then, I have purchased many Apt. 9 sets from Kohl’s. While not the most luxurious available, I’ve found them to be sturdy while keeping enough loft to keep me happy.
Thanks for stopping by to leave a review on the towels you have grabbed! I’ll have to look for the Apt. 9 sets from Kohl’s too!
I totally agree with the person in the post about the towels from Sam’s Club! I went and replaced all of my master bath towels from there! I found they were great quality for only $6.98 per towel. They are super plush and do a great job absorbing and drying! I have had them around a year and they are still holding up great. Eventually I will probably replace all of my guest bathroom towels with the ones from Sam’s as well. I also got the hand towels from the matching collection from Sam’s and those are great too. I just can’t spend the $3.98 per washcloth though, so most of my wash cloths are basic ones I got for free from my local Sears when they use to do the $5 off $5 or $10 off $10 coupons.
I will add that we also have 2 bath sheets and 2 normal size towels (and matching wash clothes) that I received at my wedding from the Threshold collection at target and they are also AMAZING, but I did not complete my set because I thought $20+ for a towel and $10 for a single hand towel was a bit outrageous.
Oh cool! Thanks a bunch for sharing your thoughts with us, Brittany!
I usually go with JC Penny or Kohls. I have a few Target, All have stood the test of time, at a very good price!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Deb! Good to know your towels have held up so well!
I know I’m odd but I like super thin towels so that every one of my 15 bath towels fit in my washer…once a month…and they dry super quick on the towel bar; no mildew smell! It’s really difficult, actually to find thin soft towels…when I find them,
I buy them by the dozen.
Oh yes! I like thin, soft towels too! Thanks so much for letting us know your favorite type of towel!
Well I have been married for almost 19 years. I feel I need to buy new towels. My husband gets mad. Please let me know what you think!
Hi there! You could go over the list above to see if there are any options that you both might like to try. Hope that helps!