Are Turkish Towels Good for the Beach? We reveal all

A few years back I took our family on a beach vacation and just a week or two before we set off I realised that all our beach towels were either missing, damaged or just old. Before I ran to the shops I took the time to do some research on the best towels for the beach and came across Turkish towels.

Turkish towels are one of the best towels you can buy for the beach. People love the fact they are super lightweight, absorbent, quick drying and come in beautiful designs. The very best thing about Turkish beach towels is that sand does not stick to them, one shake and the sand is gone!

Let’s go through these benefits in detail to see why Turkish towels are great for the beach – Here are my top reasons – I’ll save the very best pro until the end.

Please note that Turkish towels are also referred to as Hammam towels or Peshtemals so if you see those terms in this article they all mean the same thing.

By the way, if you are looking to buy your next beach towel why not take a look at my recent review “Best Turkish Beach Towels for Your Perfect Summer Getaway” where I check out the 5 best beach towels?

1. Absorbent – Dry in seconds

One thing is for sure, Turkish towels are very absorbent.

As you come out of the sea and reach for your Peshtemal you can be confident that this type of towel is going to get you super dry very quickly.

It’s interesting because usually the heavier the towel, the more absorbent the towel is but in the case of Turkish towels weight is not important.

What is important is the number of woven loops in a towel and the Turkish towel has plenty more due to the long thin cotton fibres. This increases the surface area of the towel allowing more water to be drawn in.

Top Tip: To keep your Turkish towel absorbent, when washing, make sure you avoid using any kind of fabric softener.

2. Lightweight – A Travellers Dream

Turkish towels are extremely lightweight making them an absolute dream for travellers.

With baggage allowances becoming less and less, especially on budget airlines it’s important to reduce weight wherever possible and these towels will help you do exactly that.

They’re also lovely and light to carry on your gentle stroll to the beach.

The long thin cotton fibres come into play here as well. If we get into the detail, towel density is measured in grams per square meter or GSM for short. The higher the GSM number the heavier the towel is.

For example a fluffy, soft, luxurious towel is likely to be in the 600 – 900 gsm range.

A common weight for a Turkish towel is between 200 – 300 gsm so you can see that Peshtemals are much lighter.

Important Note: Even though Turkish towels are much lighter they possess similar absorbency to a regular cotton towel of much higher gsm.

3. Space Saving – Super thin

Turkish towels have an incredibly tight weave which makes them much thinner than other types of towels.

When it comes to travelling especially a beach holiday you need to pack as much as you can in that suitcase and Peshtemals offer a great saving in this area.

So many times I have wondered if a hotel offers its guests beach towels in the hope I can leave mine at home. Now that I own a Turkish towel I no longer worry as it takes so little space in my case.

Top Tip: If you still don’t want to pack your Peshtemal use it as a travel blanket and take it on the plane with you.

4. Quick Drying – and ready to go

There’s nothing worse than getting out of the sea and having to use an already wet towel.

With Turkish towels, this is definitely a thing of the past.

If you’re at the beach and you’ve dried yourself off then simply lay the towel on the sand or hang over a sun lounger and your Peshtemal will be dry before you know it.

It’s actually incredible to experience how quickly these towels dry especially in environments that are not super hot.

5. Colourful Designs – you’ll need your sunglasses

Regular cotton beach towels come in all kinds of colourful designs and Turkish towels are just the same.

Peshtemals are available in solid colours as well as some really lovely patterns. Designs are either vintage or contemporary in nature making your choice actually quite difficult.

In order to give that wonderful Turkish vibe, in most cases, Hammam towels come with the infamous fringe on both the short edges of the towel. For some, this can be a point of contention and people fail to get the benefits of the towel just because they are not comfortable with the fringe.

In my opinion, I love it as it makes the towel very authentic.

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6. Multi Use – your travel companion

For the traveller among us, Turkish towels are a godsend.

Apart from all the practical benefits of owning one of these towels, there are also so many more uses than just a towel.

Turkish beach towels can also be used for the following:

1. Beach wrap or sorong
2. Shoulder wrap
3. Scarf or sun cover
4. Travel blanket or pillow
5. Privacy screen
6. Picnic Blanket

Outside of travelling, there are so many other uses that I won’t go into here.

7. Durable – lasts a lifetime

Turkish towels last – fact.

Assuming you look after them and care for them correctly they really will last a lifetime.

I think it’s one of my pet hates when you spend money on a towel, take it on one trip and it comes back ruined.

No matter what the environment is and let’s face it the beach is a fairly harsh environment for a towel Peshtemals just keep on living.

You may find that Turkish towels are slightly more expensive than regular cotton towels however when you factor in how long they last they are actually cheaper in the long run.

8. Eco Friendly – offset just a little

So we all know that travelling to far-reaching destinations to lie on a secluded beach costs.

It costs money but more importantly it costs the environment CO² emissions.

These days we are all trying to do our bit to at least consider the environment and with Turkish towels, you can do just that.

Turkish towels are eco-friendly in so many ways from the Turkish cotton they are made from to the fact that they need less laundering and use fewer resources to care for them

It may not be much but by purchasing a Turkish towel you are making a conscious decision to reduce your impact on the world.

9. Repels Sand – are you serious

Ok, here is the final reason why Turkish towels are good for the beach – and it’s a good one!

Another of my annoyances on a beach holiday is sand getting everywhere. In your clothes, in your bags, in your car and hotel room – the stuff just gets everywhere.

One of the reasons is that sand tends to stick to regular cotton towels and for whatever reason once you left the beach the towel will decide to deposit the sand.

Turkish towels repel sand, yes that’s right. When you decide to leave the beach simply give the towel one for two good shakes and all the sand just falls away. I know I couldn’t believe it either.

If you’d like to know more about how they do this I’d encourage you to read my article “Are Turkish Towels Sand Resistant, are they beach ready?” next.

Conclusion

Well, those are all the reasons why Turkish beach towels are better, they really are worth it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article. You should now be well and truly in love with Turkish beach towels as they provide so many more benefits over and above the normal cotton beach towel.

Have you bought Turkish beach towels and want to share your thoughts?

Perhaps you’re still not sure whether beach Peshtemals are for you?

I’d love to hear from you, please do leave a comment below.

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