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In-depth analysis of Turkish Hammam Towels: All questions answered!
Table of Contents
1- Towel Size Chart
2- Different ways to wear Hammam Towels
3- What size towels to buy
4- What is the GSM of Turkish Hammam Towels
5- Do Turkish Towels dry quickly?
6- How compact are the Turkish Towels?
1- Are Turkish Towels really absorbent?
Answer is “Yes” they are. First of all, let`s answer the question of what makes Turkish Towel so absorbent? The answer lies in the quality of the cotton fibres used in the making of these towels. They are made out of long cotton fibres. When it comes to cotton, longer the fibre is the better. Length in this context mean absorbency, softness, durability. Long fibres allow Turkish Towel to be more absorbent as well as providing longevity so you can enjoy your towel in the years to come.
“When it comes to cotton, longer the fibre is the better“
According to ScienceDirect article, M Dochia and Z. Roskwitalski, Handbook of Natural Fibers: Types, Properties and Factors Affecting Breeding and Cultivation, 2012
However, just like any other towels, a towel cannot be used straight off the shelf. It needs to be washed first in order to become absorbent (This is rule number one). Have you ever noticed, when you do this rookie mistake, and try to use a towel the second you opened the packaging, how water-repellent towel behaves at first… This is perfectly normal. That is towel`s way of saying “wash me“.
If you have time, wash it couple of times before start using it. If you are in a rush, then wash & dry it once and your Turkish Hammam Towel ready to go. Thereafter each time you wash your towel it will get better. Hence, the expression “the more you wash the better it gets“.
2- How big is a typical Turkish Hammam Towel? How does it compare to standard towels?
Hammam Towels are Large
Standard bath towel size ranges between 27″ X 50″- 30″ X 56″. On the other hand a standard issue Turkish Hammam Towel size ranges around 35″ X 65″ – 40″ X 70″ (90 X 170cm – 100 x 180cm).
That is to say Turkish Hammam Towels always larger than towels listed below.
In the visual you can see that a standard Turkish Hammam Towel is larger than the Bath Towel, Bath Sheet and Beach Towel.
Beach Towels vs Bath Sheet vs Hammam Towel
A versatile beach garment: Hammam Towel
In other words, standard bath towels surface area is 1.45sqm, whereas Turkish Towels` surface area at minimum 1.53sqm and most of the time reaching 1.8sqm. That is a lot of towel to wrap around! As a result, such flexibility allows Turkish Towels to be used as highly versatile beach garment, from beach Pareo, to beautiful beach dresses. On colder seasons Hammam Towels can be worn as an over-sized scarf as well.
How do you know which size towel to buy?
Towel Size Guide
| Centimetres (CM) | Inches (“) | ||||
| Towel Type | Width | Length | Width | Length | |
| 1 | Face Cloth | 30 | 30 | 12 | 12 |
| 2 | Guest Towel | 40 | 60 | 16 | 24 |
| 3 | Hand Towel | 50 | 90 | 20 | 36 |
| 3 | Bath Towel | 70 | 120 | 27 | 47 |
| 4 | Bath Sheet | 90 | 150 | 36 | 59 |
| 5 | Beach Towel | 90 | 175 | 36 | 69 |
| 6 | Turkish Hammam Towel | 100 | 180 | 40 | 70 |
Face Cloth
A facecloth is a small cloth made of towelling which you use for washing yourself.
Guest Towel
Guest towels are towels which have been designated for use by guests. Many people like to keep them so that their visitors can have fresh, clean towels for bathing, hand washing, and other tasks.
Hand Towel
Hand towels are a small towel used to dry one`s hand.
Bath Towel
A large towel usually used after showering or bathing. In terms of size, at least it is expected to cover one`s waist.
Bath Sheet
A Bath Sheet is an extra-large bath towel, especially one at least 3 feet (1 metre) wide and 5 feet (1.5 meters) long.
Beach Towel
A large towel that is big enough to lay on and sunbathe. Please refer to above chart for details, there are dimensions both in cm and in inches.
Hammam Towel
Hammam towels are a flat-woven, cotton fabric that has been primarily used as a traditional cloth in Turkish Hammams. They were in use in Ottoman Hammams (Turkish Bath) long before terrycloth towel invented. Mainly because they are light-weight, dry quick in an ever-wet environment.
3- What is the GSM of Turkish Towels?
To start with, what is GSM anyway? GSM stands for Gram per Square Metre. And it is used to measure density of a fabric worldwide.
Typical Hammam Towels weigh around 200-250 GSM. Depending on the use and circumstances, high and low GSM towels can be used for practical reasons. As a beach, travel, gym, yoga towel it makes more sense to use low GSM towels such as Hammam Towels or Linen Towels.
At the end of the day you want a beach/travel towel you don’t want a burden to carry around the world. So, in this context high GSM count is not equal to better quality. On the go you want something Flexible, Absorbent, Quick-Dry, Light-Weight and Compact. That is savvy-traveller`s way to go.
4- Do Turkish Towels dry quickly?
They certainly do and that is by design. And here is why? Flatter weaving process in the manufacturing of Turkish Towels allows them to weigh less as a final product, hence allowing towel not to deposit as much water in its fibres. Turkish Towels breathe naturally better by design. As soon as you finish drying yourself and hang your towel to any rack, back of a chair or on a banister, your Turkish Towel drying process starts immediately at minimal room temperature, without needing additional heat source, such as radiator, sun light etc. Less water deposit in the towel means the need for extra heat in order to evaporate the access water on any normal towel eliminated in the first place.
How long does it take a Turkish Towel to dry and be ready for re-use?
Drying process depends on the environment. Based on the most common uses of the towel here are two examples;
At the Beach
At the beach (or in a typical open pool of a resort), after use, Turkish towels dry between 10-15 minutes under natural sun light, provided that it is spread nicely on a lounging chair or on top of an umbrella etc.
At Home
At home or in general indoor scenarios they usually dry in 45 minutes in the room temperatures. On the other hand, on a radiator they dry within 15-30 minutes.
Quick Drying is a virtue
Turkish towels dry quicker than traditional loopy, terry-towels. They only weigh fraction of a typical terry-cloth towel. And they dry minimum of 3x faster than regular towels. As a result of quick drying, your towel will always be fresh and it won`t accumulate mould and mildew.
Hygiene is first
Flat weave translates into much more breathable fabric in comparison with alternatives. Hence it is more hygienic. Dirt and organic matter can was off much easier on Hammam Towels, than other loopy towels.
Now, let`s move to the next topic.
5- How compact are Turkish Hammam Towels?
Turkish towels are as compact as a towel can be. Literally, a light-weight Turkish Towel, once rolled up, will fit in remaining space that left in your suitcase. It can also be packed as a flat folded square. Depending on your packing style, it may be a good idea to fold them neatly and spread at the bottom of your luggage in order to utilise unused space at the bottom between railings of luggage handle.
We put compactness of Turkish towels to the test. Let`s see the results!
You can fit staggering 60 Turkish Hammam Towels in a suitcase. Each flap of a suitcase can take 30 Turkish Towels. HforHammam | Tested and Approved
Here is how many towels we have managed to fit in a standard medium size hard-shell suitcase.
Towel Specs:
Towel Model: Jacquard Turkish Towel with Stars
Towel Dimensions: 40×70″ x 100x180cm
Towel weight: 12.7oz – 360gr
Suitcase specs:
Suitcase Type: Hard-Shell
Size: Medium
Suitcase dimensions: 28x20x12″ – 72x50x30cm)
Test Results
Suitcase flap 1:
We managed to fit 30 Stars Turkish Towel comfortably. That is unbelievable for two reasons.
1- Nobody has ever done this experiment with towels before (let alone Turkish Towels). So, like everyone else, I had no idea how many of these gorgeous towels would actually fit in a suitcase.
2- Although, we know how compact Turkish Towels are and how small they can fold into or rolled up, It never occurred to me that I could fit 30 towels on one side of the suitcase. Since this is a hard-shell suitcase both flaps have almost equal depth (actual depth difference is about 2 cm, little less than an inch.
Suitcase flap 2:
Second flap of the suitcase can also take another 30 Turkish towels. That`s a whopping 60 towels in a suitcase. This is the most impressive thing I have seen in years, after the clowns in a car experiment. (By the way, if you have not seen them you should definitely see).
It was certainly a fun experiment for me to do. I hope you enjoyed my premise and findings that followed.
Take away from this experiment
I guess the main take away from this experiment is that Turkish Towels are really a compact genre of towels. When travelling it will give you a peace of mind that you have one of these Turkish Towels and you do not need to worry about the space in your suitcase. Loopy towels are naturally bulkier, heavier and take entirely too much space in your suitcase.
Consider this next time when you are packing for holidays or simply for weekend gateways; would not it be better if your towel only takes 1/60 of the total space in your luggage so you could be able to pack more of your favourite stuff for your time away. We know it would. If we are on the same page on this one, why not browse our Turkish Hammam Towel collection and see if there is anything you like better than the one you already have.
We will be posting new and helpful tutorials, comparisons, and real life experiments about Turkish Hammam Towels regularly. Be sure to subscribe and/or drop us a line, either way we will send you some really helpful information.