Thank you Turkish Towel Store
for providing us with products to review, free of charge.
These are our own honest opinions. 

Sometimes, we are so accustomed to using certain products in our home that we don’t even consider there might be better alternatives. I used to think that towels were expensive (especially if you wanted high quality). I used to think that towels were bulky. I used to think towels took forever to dry. I used to think towels got rough after using them for a while. In my mind, that’s the way things had to be because I didn’t know there were soft absorbent light and durable alternatives.

Then a family member told me about their recent trip to Turkey. Delicous food, amazing historical places to visit, rich culture, kind people, and pestemal. I’m sorry, what? What’s a pestemal? I asked suspiciously.

Pestemals (also spelled peshtemals or called Turkish towels) are traditional hand-weaved towels. They’ve been around for centuries (how did I not find out about them sooner, I wonder). In Turkey, there are used in a variety of different ways. As a bath towel. As a table cloth. As a picnic blanket. As a pareo or beach towel. As a shawl even. Sky is the limit!

They come in a variety of fibers: cotton is typically used but some are made of linen and bamboo. They are offered in many sizes, the most popular one being 65-70” by 35-40” which is quite a generous size. There are also larger pestemals, some on which can even be used as blankets. Pestemals are also available as hand towels and napkins.

As soon as I got home, I went online and looked for these amazing towels that can do it all. I came across a webstore called Turkish Towel Store and I was impressed both by the huge variety of products available and the affordable prices (let’s not forget these are hand-woven in Turkey!).

I contacted them and they were very kind and super fast to reply to my email. They really want to get the word out there about their pestemals so I received 3 bath towels and 1 napkin to try so I could share my experience with you.

Let me say this first (and I don’t say that often when I review products): go get some pestemals.

NOW!

They are awesome on some many levels! First off, from a girly perspective, they are totally adorable. They come in tons of fun colors and weaving designs. Whether your like stripes, herringbone patterns, diamond patterns, light, dark or neutral colors, they are more options that you can imagine! I personally decided to go with an eclectic selection choosing different colors, weaving designs, and yarns.

Second, they are oh so thin and light! When my package arrived, I immediately thought they couldn’t possibly have put more than one towel inside because it was so small. Then I opened it and it was as if I’d become a magician: I was able to make no less than 3 towels and 1 napkin appear from that small package! Each towel weighs between 10 and 15oz. That’s right, not even a pound each, which makes them ideal to bring with you at the beach or when you’re travelling or going to the gym.

I know what you’re thinking. If they’re so thin and light, they can’t be as absorbent as a ‘regular’ towel. After using them for weeks, I can confidently say that YES! they are as absorbent as any other towel. With one towel, I can dry my hair and my entire body and the towel isn’t even soaked with I’m done. Not only that but their thinness allows them to dry super fast. Even when it’s humid outside. I’ve compared my daughter’s ‘regular’ towel to mine, an hour after I showered (and many many hours after she bathed) and mine was totally dried whereas hers wasn’t. As for the napkin sized one, it’ll easily fit in my lunchbox and can be used as a placemat (for those times when the table isn’t clean as it should be) or a napkin.

The way the pestemals are weaved gives them a soft texture. The intricate weaving designs also make them way prettier and more interesting than the typical solid color bath towels I used to use. In terms of the different fibers used, I personally find my cottons ones (diamond weave and herringbone) to be slightly softer than my linen one (which feels soft but thicker) although I really do like them all.

These towels are simply amazing and I can’t believe there is actually a great alternative to bulky and expensive bath towels. I know I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know about pestemals but after adopting them, I felt the need to share my love for these beautiful, hand-woven, versatile towels. No wonder they’ve been around for hundreds of years!

Rachel