What makes a hammam towel so special?
A hammam towel or “peshtemal” (pesh-te-mahl)
is the authentic bath towel used in Turkish hammam bathhouses. Today,
it has become an alternative to regular bath and beach towels.Peshtemals are flat-woven typically by manually operated looms with hand-tied fringes. They come in countless designs, textures, weights and colours – typically made of Turkish cotton but also of linen, bamboo or even silk.
Peshtemals are different from regular thick terry towels. They are light weight, thin and extremely absorbent. They are big in size (around 100cm x 180cm) but are very compact with a smooth, soft texture. Also, peshtemals are highly absorbent, fast drying, durable, eco-friendly and unisex.
What can one do with a hammam towel?
It is easy to fall in love with hammam towels for their versatility!Try them:
- In the bathroom as an alternative to regular bath towels
- At the gym, pilates, yoga, pool, spa and sauna
- Outdoors swimming at the beach, from the rocks or by a lake
- As a picnic blanket
- In the home as a table cloth, bed cover, or blanket
- As a scarf or shawl
- As a muslin for baby care
- As a handy travel towel
How should you care for your hammam towel?
We recommend that you tighten the knots and soak your new towel in cold water overnight and then wash before use! Hammam towels will get softer and more absorbent with every use and wash.
Washing
Machine wash in warm (60°C) or cold with similar colours. Do not use bleach, harsh detergents, dryer sheets or high heat.Avoid fabric softeners as they contain silicon that will make the towels water repellent. To soften them, add 250ml of white vinegar to the washing machine’s rinse cycle every 6 weeks. Run the towels through a regular washing cycle, then redo them with the vinegar instead of detergent/ softener. Cotton is a natural fibre and new towels will shed some loose fibres.
Drying
Tumble dry on low or line dry. While
tumble drying will make the towel fluffy, do not overdo it as the heat
from the dryer can damage the integrity of the cotton.
Absorbency
To maximize the absorbency of a towel,
add 250ml of white vinegar to the washing machine’s rinse cycle every 6
weeks. The vinegar removes any excess detergent, which can affect the
towels’ absorbency.
Pulled threads
As all hammam towels are woven, a pulled
loop will not unravel the towel. If you catch the towel and pull a loop,
cut off the pulled loop with a pair of scissors.
Why Turkish cotton?
Turkish cotton is premium cotton that has
extra-long fibre and is grown in the small but productive Aegean
region. Using longer fibre cotton in spinning yarn means fewer joins.
Fewer joins results in stronger and smoother cotton threads.Turkish Cotton becomes even softer, fluffier and more absorbent with successive washings.
Turkish cotton vs. Egyptian cotton
Egyptian cotton is known for its
absorbency, which is especially suited for apparel, shirting and sheets.
However in towels too much absorbency means that a towel takes longer
to dry after use.Turkish cotton provides the perfect balance between absorbency, efficient drying and softness, which makes it the best yarn to be used in towels.