If you like a weighty towel that warms you up when you step out of the shower, you’ll want terry towels, which have loops of yarn on the front and back. Our terry picks range from fluffy and soft to thin and textured, but they are all densely packed with those loops, so they’re heavier and toastier than waffle towels. They can hold a lot of moisture without feeling soaked, but they can also take longer to fully dry.
Plush and pampering: Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towel
Top pick
This longtime pick is the softest, fattest towel we’ve tested, and it comes in more colors than any other towel we recommend.
Why it’s great
This is the fluffiest towel I’ve ever used. The Frontgate Resort Collection Bath Towel is unbelievably plump, and it’s gentle on the skin. When you wrap up in this towel, it’s warm — even when it’s damp. And it’s made from smooth, long-staple cotton, like our Riley pick.
It soaks up water quickly and never feels soggy. During my coldest, wettest testing conditions, the Frontgate towel took only a day to air-dry (this was faster than it took many thinner towels to dry).
Our original test towel — from 2017 — has lasted almost a decade (and counting). Long-staple cotton is known for its strength, as well as for its smoothness and softness, so I expected this towel to survive scores of washes. While the color has faded a little, the towel has no pulls or snags, and it’s still as absorbent as the new Frontgate towels that I tested in 2026.
There are so many colors (and accessories) to choose from. The Frontgate towel comes in about two dozen rich, saturated colors. These colors are also available for the larger bath sheets (in the same plush terry), for the hand towels (which are ever-so-slightly thinner but equally soft and absorbent), and for the washcloths (which are even thinner but suds up nicely and come in sets of two). The coordinating bath mat is available in fewer colors, but it’s also a pick in our guide to the best bathroom rugs and bath mats.
These towels are a staff favorite. The Frontgate towels have developed a cult following among our staff members, and they have had consistently high customer reviews for years. Of all the picks I’ve made, in all of the guides I’ve written for Wirecutter, the Frontgate towel is the one I hear people rave about the most.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The price has steadily increased since we first recommended this towel. But Frontgate has several sales each year. Don’t pay full price, if you can wait.
Key specs
Thick yet affordable: Target Threshold Spa Plush Bath Towel
Budget pick
Of all the budget terry towels we’ve ever tested, this one comes the closest to the plush, luxurious feel of our longstanding top pick.
Why it’s great
It’s plush like our top pick, but it’s a fraction of the price. The Target Threshold Spa Plush Towel is the best terry towel I’ve tested under $20, and it’s the closest one I’ve found to our longtime favorite from Frontgate. And the Spa Plush line’s Oversized Bath Towel comes in the same terry and in the same range of colors (but in fewer options than the Frontgate offers). The coordinating hand towels and washcloths (sold in sets of two and four, respectively) are thinner terry but just as soft, and they also come in the same colors.
For a towel this thick, it dried faster than I was expecting it to. In my 2024 testing, I focused on towels priced under $20, and the Spa Plush was the thickest. Yet in my shower testing, it was also one of the first to be dry enough to use again. After about 14 hours on a hot, dry, summer day, this towel felt just a little bit damp. Our other budget pick, Target’s (much thinner) Casaluna Waffle Towel, was still wet.
The stitching is neat, and the edges are straight. And they’re straighter than those on other under-$20 towels I’ve tested. After several washes, there were no loose threads around the edges or snagged terry loops. And because Threshold is one of Target’s own brands, it comes with a generous one-year return policy.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The Spa Plush towel doesn’t hold up as well in the wash over time as the Frontgate towel. But it maintains its softness better than other budget-friendly towels I’ve tried.
It’s our smallest terry pick. This is typical of less expensive towels. And while it won’t cover as much of your body as the Frontgate or Riley towels, you could opt for the oversize version (which is a few inches larger, in both directions, than the bath-size option and other terry bath picks).
Key specs
- Sizes: bath, oversized, hand, washcloth
- Colors: nine
- Materials: 100% cotton
- Certifications: Oeko-Tex Made in Green
Terry with extra texture: Riley Spa Bath Towel
Best for…
This towel is thinner and less bulky than our top pick, and it was a favorite among testers who like a rougher terry. And with its stylish details, it stands out from most terry towels we’ve tried.
Why it’s great
If you like a terry towel with more bite to it, this one is wonderfully tactile. The Riley Spa Bath Towel’s terry loops are well defined, loosely woven, and shorter than the loops on the Frontgate towel. So you can feel each loop when you run your fingers over the towel or swipe it across your back.
It’s compact, and it dries faster than the Frontgate towel. The Riley towel is thinner than the Frontgate towel, and it takes up less space on a shelf when it’s folded. Yet it’s still roomy enough to wrap around the body. When I compared the Frontgate and Riley towels during a wet winter in the Pacific Northwest, the Riley towel air-dried in about 20 hours, and it took the Frontgate more than 24 hours.
It’s durable. Like the Frontgate towel, the Riley towel is made with strong, smooth long-staple cotton. My original 2020 test towel has maintained its pleasing texture and absorbency, although the color (like the Frontgate’s) isn’t as vibrant as it once was.
It has a unique look for terry. Most terry towels have a dobby — a strip of flat-woven fabric — at one end (or sometimes on both ends). The Riley is terry across the entire surface, and it has modern rounded edges and a loop on one side for hanging on a bathroom hook. Like all of our terry picks, it comes in a bath-sheet size for more coverage. The matching hand towel and washcloth are thinner but have a similar texture and design, including the hanging loop.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Some sizes and colors are periodically out of stock, especially after big sales. They do come back in stock eventually, though.
Key specs
- Sizes: bath, sheet, hand, washcloth
- Colors: 11
- Materials: 100% cotton
- Certifications: Oeko-Tex
