This Flat and Plush Bath Mat Might Be the Best One I’ve Tried (It’s the Best of Both Worlds)

It may sound silly, but bath mats have long been a point of contention in my household. My husband likes soft, cushiony ones, while I prefer a durable flatweave that dries quickly. I can’t tell you how many high-pile options we’ve gone through because they get gross so fast. And I hate stepping onto a damp, squishy bath mat when I’m fresh out of the shower. It took some trial and error to find the best bath mat for us, but I think I finally found it in Quiet Town’s Malta Bath Mat — it’s the best of both worlds. 

Quiet Town makes one of my favorite bath towels, so it feels meant to be that they’ve made my ideal bath mat, too. The Malta is the only one that both my husband and I can agree on because it features a flatweave and a high-pile construction, so now we don’t have to choose. It’s also super-stylish and elevates the look of my entire bathroom. It sort of feels like I won the bath mat lottery. 

The Malta Bath Mat is essentially a flatweave and high-pile rug combined. Handwoven from 100% cotton, it’s made using a flatweave kilim technique and features a grid of plush, high-pile tiles throughout, giving it a cool textured effect. Because it’s on the thinner side, it dries faster than the regular high-pile bath mats I’ve tried, but you still get that soft, comfortable feel underfoot thanks to the fluffier tiles. It also features a thin latex backing that keeps it from slipping and sliding around your bathroom floor. 

It comes in four soft, nature-inspired colorways that will elevate the look of any bathroom (I chose “Zap,” a light chartreuse shade). I tested the 24×31-inch size, but it also comes in a 56×22-inch runner for larger bathrooms. 

The Malta exceeds all the other bath mats I’ve tried when it comes to quality. It’s thin, but by no means is it flimsy. I was immediately impressed by how durable it felt straight out of the box, and even after weeks of constant use it’s been holding up great. It hasn’t shed or frayed since I washed it, either, so I feel like it will last ages. 

Best of all, the bath mat solved one of our most enduring marital spats (kidding, sort of). Now my husband gets the plush pile and soft feeling underfoot, while I get the durability and speedy dry time I crave — everybody wins. Even when I step onto it while damp from the shower, the mat’s fluffy-meets-flatweave design absorbs the excess water like a dream, and the textured, contrasting pile actually dries my feet off more effectively, too. It also dries fast, which is huge, because that means I can shower after my husband and not step onto an icky, damp bath mat. In all our time using it, I haven’t noticed any gross smells emanating from its weave either. And the latex backing keeps it firmly in place; I haven’t had any issues with it slipping on my bathroom’s tile. 

Obviously, I could never commit to a bath mat if it didn’t fit the aesthetic vibe of my bathroom, and I’m pleased to report that the Malta passed the test with flying colors. The light chartreuse hue brings a soft pop of color to the space, and the gridded design looks modern and playful. It somehow makes my (admittedly outdated) bathroom feel fresh and current, which I’m beyond grateful for. 

Buy: Malta Bath Mat, $88