Buying Guides
Buying the best towels
From the everyday to the beautifully luxurious, explore our guide to find the right towel for you and your home.
What makes John Lewis & Partners towels special?
Quality, wash after wash
Our towels are pre-washed to avoid shrinkage and ensure the quality remains the same wash after wash
Super soft handle
We use the perfect amount of softener in our finishing process to get maximum softness as well as durability
Great colours that last
We use the best dyes to get a fantastic range of colours in our mix, ensuring colour consistency as well as outstanding colour fastness wash after wash
Things to consider
What the towel is made from
We use of a variety of fibres in our towels, and each has different properties. Polyester is lightweight and quick-drying, while lyocell has a silky smooth handfeel.
What is GSM?
GSM stands for grams per square metre and is a good indication of how heavy and dense a towel is. Generally, the higher the GSM, the thicker and more absorbent the towel will be.
When deciding on the GSM, think about how you’ll use your towel and how often. Lightweight towels dry quicker, but heavyweight towels have a more luxurious feel.
How the towel is made
Zero twist: an open loop with no twist, so feels softer and more plush.
Hygro®: traps air during tumble drying to give a thick and fluffy pile that’s highly absorbent and wonderful to wrap yourself up in.
Our ranges
Light Cotton
Ideal if you...
- Have a busy lifestyle
- Want a quick-drying towel
Our House by John Lewis towels are made from a unique combination that has the quick-drying properties of polyester but the absorbency and softness of cotton.
Why you'll love it:
- Great for the gym or on-the-go
- Matching bath mats available
- 500gsm
- Durability
Ultimate Hotel
Ideal if you:
- Want the ultimate luxury towel
- You want a rare cotton
- A long lasting towel
Ultimate Hotel is our most premium towel range. We use rare Indian-grown suvin cotton and combine it with Lyocell for a beautifully soft and silky feel you won’t find anywhere else. Suvin towels feature Hygro® technology, which traps air during tumble drying to give a thick and fluffy pile that’s highly absorbent and wonderful to wrap yourself up in.
Why you'll love it:
- Silky smooth handfeel
- Improves with washing
- Matching bath mats available
- 650gsm
Supreme Supima® Cotton
Ideal if you...
- Prefer a heavyweight towel
- A sumptuous feel
Soft, dense and absorbent, Supima® cotton is only grown in the USA and is sought out for its sumptuous quality and plush, weighty feel.
Why you'll love it:
- The heaviest towel in our range
- Up to 45% stronger than other cottons
- Long staple strong fibres make it durable and long-lasting
- 720gsm
Egyptian Cotton
Ideal if you...
- Want a good all-rounder
- Want a wide variety of colours
- Prefer a heavier towel
Our best-selling, certified Egyptian towels can’t be beaten on quality and performance. The long, fine fibres of this cotton create towels with excellent absorbency, durability and softness.
Why you'll love it:
- Heavier handle
- Made to last
- Can be washed up to 60°
- Colour fastness proven wash after wash
- Available in 43 colours (our largest colour assortment)
- Matching bath mats available
- 700gsm
Ultra Soft Cotton
Ideal if you...
- Want a super-soft towel at an accessible price
The Ultra Soft is our softest towel yet, and made from zero-twist cotton so feels plush but not heavier. It's finished with an innovative unscented natural peppermint oil which contains antimicrobial protection to keep it fresher and cleaner longer.
Why you'll love it:
- Soft and fluffy
- Highly absorbent
- 600gsm
- Has lasting freshness
ANYDAY John Lewis & Partners Light Cotton
Ideal if you...
- Have a busy lifestyle
- Want a quick-drying towel
Our Light Cotton towels are made from a unique combination that has the quick-drying properties of polyester but the absorbency and softness of cotton.
Why you'll love it:
- Great for the gym or on-the-go
- Matching bath mats available
- 500gsm
- Durability
Caring for your towels
Washing
- Wash towels at between 30-60°C - see care label
- Wash with similar colours or use a colour catcher
- For coloured towels, use detergent without added bleach or optical brightening agents as these can affect colour intensity; the opposite is true for white towels, to keep them bright white
- Use fabric conditioners sparingly and not in every wash as they decrease absorbency
- Shake towels before and after washing; this opens up the fibres slightly to allow the detergent to sink in, and helps to promote drying .
- Avoid using fabric conditioner the first few times you wash new towels
Drying
- Tumble dry your towels to keep them soft and fluffy
Ironing
- All our towels can be ironed, though we’d recommend using a low heat setting to avoid affecting the handfeel and flattening the pile
Tips
- Wash separately from garments with zips or trims to avoid snagging
- Snip off pulls or snags with a pair of scissors
- Avoid contact with cleaning products, facial cleansers and toothpaste as they can contain bleaching agents that may stain the towel