When you walk into a salon or spa, you expect to walk out rejuvenated. That's the full spa experience: a few hours of pampering to help you relax.

Yes, a great ambience helps.

So does the promise of satisfactory customer service.

And while people can complement the nails, face, skin and hair treatments you provide, nothing compares to the small details like the quality of your salon and spa towels. 

Why Do I Need Specific Towels for My Spa and Salon Business?

The right towel choice differentiates an incredible spa experience from a lacklustre one. Match the right towels with their purpose.

To do this, you need to know if they:

• Are durable enough to withstand wear and fray after a couple of washings.
• Are of high-quality and can remain plush, soft and fluffy even after repeated use.
• Are colour and bleach safe to resist staining and chemical damage.

Your towel choice is an investment, but the variety makes it hard to know which towel is the right one.

Learning to identify the different types can help to ease some of the doubt before you buy.

How to Recognise a Salon and Spa-Worthy Towel

Is the Towel Construction Superior?

Excellent towel construction is an indicator of high-quality towels. It's a combination of the technique and superior materials.

Towels are produced by weaving. The fibres are interwoven to form a pile or loop in a specific pattern. The towel's quality partly depends on this process.

High-quality towels have no gaps between the intertwined loops so the towel is more absorbent and durable.

Poorly constructed towels do the opposite. They can look and feel good when new but eventually wear down.

Let's look at some processes common to towel construction:

• Combed cotton is a method for preparing fibre for spinning by using combs. The combs remove shorter threads and impurities from the yarn, leaving the longer threads. This technique is for towel fabric that's absorbent and fast-drying.
• Microfibre is a silky fibre synthetically created from polyester or polyamide. It produces towels that are soft, tough, absorbent, and have electrostatic filtering capabilities.
• Ring-spun combines the long and short-staple fibres for a smoother, stronger yarn. The end product has a more luxurious and softer feel compared to combed cotton.
• The carded cotton process disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web suitable for subsequent processing. They are stronger than combed cotton and hairy in appearance.

Pearl Indulgence Bath Sheet

Plush Microfibre Bathrobe

Colour Face Washer

Colour Bath Towel

Know the quality of the towel construction by looking out for these telltale signs:

• Loose threads equate to poor construction. Superior towels have tight, high-quality stitching.
• Double-turned edges are reinforced with double stitching, which minimises fraying of the towel.

Does the Towel Feel Good to Touch?

A full spa experience needs towels that are soft and gentle to the skin, nails and hair. This makes cotton towels the preferred choice.

Cotton is soft, fluffy, absorbent, and affordable.

However, not all cotton towels have the same texture. The texture is a result of the manufacturing process and fabric type.

Here are some common cotton materials used for creating towels:

• Egyptian cotton is hand-picked for a stronger and silkier fibre. When woven, the cotton fabric produces luxurious, high-density absorbent towels.
• Pima cotton is a superior blend with extra-long staple fibres for light, fluffy and absorbent towels.
• Turkish cotton has extra-long fibres that help produce quality thick towels. It has the distinct advantage of drying quickly and becomes fluffier and more absorbent after every washing.

Is the Towel the Right Size?

Don't use your pedicure towels for hair treatment! Their purposes differ along with their sizes.

To find the right towel size, you need to know its function. Is it for the spa, a pedicure or hair treatment?

Here are the popular towel sizes, their sizes and their uses:

• A washcloth is the smallest, measuring 33 x 33 cm. Its size is perfect for facial and nail treatment.
• Hand towels are a staple in restrooms and day spas, for improving the hygiene and ambience of your salon and spa. The most common size option is 45 x 75 cm to fit in a towel rack.
• Bath towels are common to everyday use. They measure from 60 x 127 cm to 70 x 140 cm. The smaller-sized bath towels are great for hair use while the larger ones are big enough for the body.
• Bath sheets are soft to the touch and provide the most coverage for the body. They measure from 75 x 155 cm to 90 x 180 cm. When wrapped around the body, bath sheets provide that extra spa-worthy feeling.
• Bath mats are highly absorbent with quick-drying properties to prevent a wet floor. The mats measure 56 x 76 cm and are thicker than a standard towel.

Before you decide on your towel size, take some time to assess your needs. Ask yourself, 'Are they for a spa treatment or a specific station in the salon?'

Does the Towel Soak up Liquid Easily?

Wondering why your cotton towel is non-absorbent? It might lack the right towel absorbent properties.

While the manufacturing process can be a factor, towel care also plays a role in absorption efficiency. Therefore, you need to weigh the right towel purchase with the best care.

Thick towels have the advantage of being better at soaking up liquids. But they also take longer to dry.

So, they might not work for every situation, especially when a quick-drying towel is more effective. Instead, try to mix it up.

Is the Towel Heavy or Light?

Did you know the weight of a towel can determine its purpose?

This explains why thick towels, which are more absorbent, are more common in spas and last a long time.

Thinner towels, however, are more common in salons. They dry faster and are easier to handle.

So keep in mind the frequency of washing and the time it will take to dry. The lighter the towel, the lower the weight, while heavier towels measure higher.

• 300 - 400gsm are the lightweights. The fast washing and drying times make them perfect for high-traffic areas in your salon and spa.
• 400 - 600gsm are denser than lightweights. They are absorbent without the extra weight, which makes them durable enough to withstand everyday use.
• 700 - 900gsm towels are the softest and most luxurious but also the densest. They are super absorbent, though dry slowly. They are not the best use for high traffic work.

Common Mistakes That Can Prevent You from Selecting the Best Towel

Poor towel choice will diminish the experience offered in your salon and spa. You'll also have a hard time maintaining their quality.

Avoid these mistakes so you’re more confident in your towel selection:

• Buying cheap instead of buying quality towels can be expensive. Make your purchase more affordable by getting quality with a longer lifespan.
• Choosing one towel type for all your services in the salon and spa instead of selecting the right towel for the right job.
• Failing to assess your towel needs in the salon and spa, which might require different towels for the same station.

Your first impression of a towel can be misleading.

Soft doesn’t always mean quality salon and spa towels, plus the material can be ineffective. Consider investing in superior towels for your business.

Australian Linen Supply can help!

Their extensive product collection has premium-quality salon and spa towels to ensure your clients keep coming back for that spa-experience.

Make sure ALS is your go-to for the best and most durable spa and salon towels at an affordable price.

Feature Image: Freepik Images