This Luxurious Bath Towel Is My Favorite I’ve Ever Owned (Now It’s 20% Off!)

You’re only supposed to hold on to your bath towels for about two years, though you can maybe stretch that out by a couple more if you take proper care of them. I’ll admit that I haven’t always followed this rule — I kept the towels I bought freshman year of college for way longer than I should have. They were so cheap that they were looking seriously threadbare by the end. Finally, after moving into my first “adult” apartment post-graduation, I decided it was time to chuck my old set and get my hands on some investment-worthy towels.

My coworkers wrote a guide to bath towel buying, which I decided to check out before deciding on a new set. Before then, I’d never really put much thought into which material would be best for me, or even knew there were so many kinds beyond just plain cotton. In fact, there are a few different types of cotton to choose from, like Egyptian and organic.

Once I learned of its quick-drying ability and durability, I decided Turkish cotton was the way to go, and almost one year into owning Serena & Lily’s Soho bath towel, I’m glad to say my choice was the right one. And guess what? It’s included in the brand’s site-wide sale right now, so it’s even more worth the splurge.

Turkish cotton towels (aka foutas) have extra-long fibers, which result in a lighter weight and allow them to dry faster. According to Parachute, the longer fiber length (or staple) also makes it so that there are fewer edges after it’s woven into the fabric. In other words, the result is a material with a stronger construction and softer feel.

If you’re also considering Egyptian cotton, Turkish cotton stands apart from it because it’s lighter, as the staple is slightly shorter. I own both kinds, and I can confirm that — my Egyptian towel is slightly more plush, but in my experience, it does take a little longer to dry. So, if one of your priorities is to make sure your towel doesn’t get moldy and mildewy, Turkish cotton will likely hold more appeal to you.

But even though it has a shorter staple, Serena & Lily’s OEKO-TEX Standard 100-certified towel is definitely cozy, especially because it’s made entirely of Turkish Aegean Cotton (the Aegean region is known for turning out cotton of a high-quality level, with a longer staple compared with what’s produced in other areas of Turkey).

The towel also has 700 GSM, or grams per meter, which means that it has a more substantial, luxurious feel. (A rule of thumb, if you want that kind of towel, is to look for a GSM between 600 and 900.) Further, it features a terry loop weave. “More cotton terry loops equals more places for water to go and more absorbency,” Katie Elks, Brooklinen’s design director, told AT.

I’m only a few weeks away from hitting the one-year mark of owning this towel, and it’s still going strong. In fact, I stand by what I said months ago, when it earned the Best Turkish Cotton spot on our Best List for bath towels: It lives up to the brand’s “hotel at home” claim. You can make your bathroom look even fancier if you go with one of the embroidered options, which offer a strip of color along the towel’s dobby weave stripe.

Most importantly, though, the quality is there, too. I’ve had to have washed this towel over 100 times, and it still feels as soft as it did when new. It doesn’t shed either, which I appreciate since the same can’t be said about some of my other towels. Even a year in, it hasn’t become musty or developed any loose threads, so I can easily see myself getting another year out of this towel — at least! Since I love it so much, I’m going to use it for as long as I can get away with it.

Buy: Serena & Lily’s Soho Turkish Cotton Bath Towel, $54.40 (normally $68)