We may be biased here at Sorbet, but we truly believe the humble hammam towel is the invaluable everyday essential that every household should have.  We can’t stop talking about how practical and useful they are, always finding new ways to use them while falling in love with those gorgeous, mouth-watering colours. 

If you’ve never heard of them and are wondering exactly what are hammam towels and why should you consider buying one, read on to find out more.

What are hammam towels?

Traditionally woven by artisan craftsmen and designed specifically for the humid atmosphere found in Turkish baths (also known as hammam spas from which they get their name), the hammam towel has found many more practical uses that are perfect for our modern lifestyles.

They go by lots of names including the Turkish towel, pestemal or fouta, but are most commonly known as a hammam towel.   Essentially, they’re a large towel made from absorbent cotton but the key difference is that they have no pile, which makes them much lighter and more compact than a conventional terry towel. 

In fact, a traditional hammam towel weighs approximately a third of the everyday bathroom or beach towel, but has the same absorbency and even rolls up small for easy packing or storage. This makes them extremely popular for leisure activities -  going swimming, to the gym or for a day out by the seaside - with even more practical uses around the home.

Versatile, Practical and Beautiful

Here’s just some of the varied uses we’ve found for the handy hammam towel:

• Being so lightweight and compact, they’re absolutely essential for air travel, holidays, camping, caravanning, festivals, walking and picnics, any sort of activity where you need to pack light.
• Popularly used as a beach towel as they don’t cling to the sand like regular towels, they’re perfect for tying around you as a sarong, plus they dry out quickly in the sun, so no more soggy, sandy towels after a relaxing day at the beach!
• The visually beautiful nature of the traditional hammam towel also sees many people using these stylish hammams as a chic throw or tablecloth to decorate their homes as well as being soft and absorbent towels for washing and bathing. 

Aside from being so practical and useful, they’re also a truly artisan product.  Sorbet towels are authentically woven in Turkey by traditional weavers who hand-tie all the tassels individually.  It keeps history and traditions alive while producing a practical and beautiful end product we just know you’ll treasure.  

Eco-Friendly Benefits

The Turkish cotton grown in the Cukurova region of Turkey (from which our towels are made) has extra-long fibres which enables strong and smooth cotton threads, making our hammam towels super long-lasting and easy to wash.  

We can’t stress enough the eco-friendly benefits of using hammam towels over conventional terry towels.  Less water and energy is needed to wash them and they dry very quickly even in winter, so no more leaving heavy towels on the radiator to dry for hours after guests have left!

If you think such a lightweight towel couldn’t handle lots of washing, then think again.  In fact, the more you wash a hammam towel the softer, stronger and more absorbent they become, and that’s all without losing their vibrant colour.  We guarantee you’ll find them a practical and viable alternative to the terry towel!