...for the bleeding in the laundry. There are all sorts of methods for dealing with this, e.g. putting a tablespoon of white vinegar in the wash water; washing twice before use; washing in very cold water; washing with like colors only .....
I've decided just to buy the white ones. Solves the bleeding problem and bypasses all the above.
That aside, these are genius mats and there are sure to be imitators on the market soon. One side is covered with rubbery nubs and the other side is smooth, so you can choose how you want to use it. (for pilates I use a sticky mat and then turn rubber side down, so no slippage; for hatha I turn rubber side up for toe grips .... cheating I know but there it is.)
They absorb sweat well for bikrammers, though major sweaters might still consider the Breathe mats for bikram.
So. Namaste. Yogitoes Skidless Premium Mat Size Yoga Towel (Stone)
I am somewhat disappointed with this product. I expected not to skid at all, and I still slide around a fair bit in yoga class. It does do a great job absorbing sweat in hot yoga classes and it also moves around very little on my mat, even when I jump forward/back. However, I'm still looking for something that will help my hands to stop sliding when I'm in downward dog. I had hoped this was that solution, but it's not.
Having slip-slided through vinyasa and ashtanga classes for nearly 10 years, this product looked like the answer to my prayers. Until I tried it. And experienced it flip up and kink with every jump back. If you must try this, spray it down with water before you begin to practice, so you get more traction. Or fold it up at the front of your mat and pull it out when you're sweating up a storm. It will not "stick" unless it's damp. I repeat, it must be damp! Never use fabric softener with it, it will render it useless. Downy completely obliterates the traction. Expect the stitching to unravel when you wash it...even if you wash it on cold in the gentle cycle. Another piece of advice, get the white...unless you have time to wash it separately in cold every time you use it (which is inconvenient if you practice more than once a week, which you probably do if you're considering this). The color runs and fades and, over time, you'll find you have to wash it in hot to really sanitize it. In which case, the dot on the front will crack and peel. I've given up the yogitoes and replaced it with a good, old fashioned towel. I also sometimes use the hand-towel sized yogitoes...that one is pretty good. Overall, just bring a towel that hasn't been washed in fabric softener and skip this thing. Particularly if you do vinyasa or ashtanga. Yogitoes is good in theory, but not practice.
I was getting tired of dripping sweat all over my yoga mat, so I was torn between buying one of these towels, or a cotton yoga blanket. I went with the towel after reading the reviews here. As other reviewers have noted, the non-nubby side of the towel is quite slippery. The cloth is much smoother than a standard terrycloth towel and there's just no texture to "grip".
The towel itself sticks to my mat beautifully, but my hands and feet were sliding all over the smooth side of the towel. I took another reviewer's advice and dampened the towel before my next class. That definitely helped. I haven't tried using it with the nubby side up, maybe that makes a difference. Overall, I'm happy with it, but this towel would be greatly improved with more texture on both sides.
After reading the other reviews for Yogitoes, it sounded like an absolute must-have. It is nice looking and the rubber nubs on the underside do stick well to the surface underneath. However, I didn't find the towel side to be sticky enough at all. I do work up a sweat but apparently not enough moisture on the hands and feet for this thing to work. During triangle pose and downward dog, I felt my feet slide apart ever so slowly. For someone at the edge of their pose, a slip could mean injury at worst or a break of flow at best.
I've washed the mat three times and it does bleed the first two washes. I've used it enough hoping I would finally stick those down-dogs. Each time, I've flung it off and used my Gaiam mat mid-practice. So I end up putting wear and tear on the Gaiam too. I can't return the Yogitoes now. But I can use it in the floor at home for stretches and in class for shivasana, so it isn't a total loss.
This mat just didn't do it for me.
After seeing many fellow yogis use these in class to keep from slipping on their mats, I saved up and bought one. After reading the cleaning instructions carefully to avoid the bleeding of colors onto other clothes, I washed it separately. Unfortunately, my first washing caused the edging/stitching to become unraveled. Just a bummer for a $45 product. I have yet to fix it or use it because once it's used, it needs washing and will continue to fall apart. Returning defective products purchased on the internet is loathsome. I had better get out my sewing machine and start stitching...if only I had the proper type of thread. Ughh! - Bikram - Bargain Yoga - Skidless - Hot Yoga'
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