How to Keep a Yoga Mat Towel From Slipping on Your Mat | Grip That Holds

A silicone-nubbed towel placed nub-side down on a clean, dry mat stays anchored through a sweaty flow — and a light mist on top adds instant grip.

Halfway into a hot class, the towel bunches under your hands and a chaturanga turns into a slide. Keeping a yoga mat towel from slipping on your mat comes down to two things: which side faces the mat, and how much moisture sits between the layers. Get those right and the towel stops wandering, even in a fast vinyasa.

Below are the exact setup steps, the care habits that protect grip, and the mistakes that quietly wreck it — including one most people make on laundry day.

Which Side Of The Towel Faces The Mat?

The silicone grip side goes down against the mat, and the soft textured fabric faces up toward your hands and feet. Flip it and you’ve removed the one feature that does the anchoring.

Manduka’s Yogitoes Hot Yoga Mat Towel uses patented silicone nubs, branded as Skidless Technology, on its underside. Those nubs are designed to resist shifting and bunching against the mat surface. If you can feel bumps under your palms, the towel is upside down.

Lululemon’s The Towel works differently: it’s a top layer for your mat with no silicone backing, so its grip comes from the fabric itself and a light spray of water. That difference matters when you choose a towel for hot practice versus a gentler flow. If you’re still deciding which style suits your routine, this roundup of the best yoga mat towels for grip compares the main options side by side.

Setting Up The Towel So It Stays Put

Lay the towel flat, align its edges with the mat, and smooth out every wrinkle before your first downward dog. Silicone nubs reduce movement, but they can’t fix a sloppy start.

1. Wipe or shake off your mat so dust, lotion, and grit aren’t trapped between the layers — the grip surface needs direct contact to work.
2. Place the towel nub-side down, textured side up, and press it flat from the center outward.
3. Lightly mist the top surface under where your hands and feet land. Manduka notes some users prefer a dry towel, while others spray the contact zones for immediate traction; Lululemon instructs users to spritz the top side for added grip.
4. Test in a low-risk pose — a cat-cow or a slow lunge — before you load the towel with fast transitions or inversions.

One caution on water: damp helps, soaked backfires. Too much moisture makes both mat and towel slick. Use just enough to activate traction.

Why Grip Fades Mid-Practice

Manduka describes the Yogitoes top surface as sweat-activated: grip builds as moisture develops during hot or high-sweat sessions. A dry towel in a cool room can feel slippery at first — that’s expected, not a defect.

Here’s what separates a towel that holds all class from one that fails at minute twenty:

Washing And Drying Without Killing The Grip

Wash a grip towel separately before first use, machine-wash cold with like colors, and tumble dry low or hang it to dry. Skip bleach, dryer sheets, fabric softener, and detergents that contain softeners — Manduka says these can reduce grip performance.

Two more field notes. Darker Yogitoes colors may need several washes to shed excess dye, so be careful pairing them with light-colored mats or clothing. And always dry the towel fully before storing it: a damp towel rolled against the mat invites odor and degrades the surface you rely on.

On price, one reference point if you’re shopping: Lululemon’s US yoga-towel category lists a Yoga Mat Towel with Grip at $64, though that listing doesn’t confirm it’s the same item as The Towel. Check the current price on the product page before you buy.

Manufacturer grip claims apply to these specific products. Don’t expect the same result from an ordinary bath towel or a plain microfiber towel with no grip features.

Common Questions

Can I use a regular towel if I don’t have a grip towel?

You can, but expect sliding. A standard bath or microfiber towel has no anchoring layer, so it shifts under weight-bearing poses and fast transitions. For hot or vigorous practice, a towel with a silicone underside or a purpose-made grip surface gives noticeably better results.

Should the towel be wet or dry before I start?

Either can work. Dry suits cooler, low-sweat sessions, while a light mist speeds up traction on a sweat-activated towel. Keep the moisture minimal — a soaked surface becomes slick, defeating the purpose. Test in an easy pose before trusting it in inversions.

Can I roll my mat and towel together after class?

Not while damp. Manduka expressly warns against rolling the towel and mat together wet, since trapped moisture harms the towel’s surface and invites odor. Let the towel dry fully, then store the two separately or roll them only when both are completely dry.