Turkish Towels

I can’t remember where I first spotted them a few years back, but I instantly became obsessed with Turkish towels, also known as peshtemal or hammam towels. Traditionally hand-woven on looms in Turkey, the towels have a long history—they’ve been used in Turkish baths, the hammams, for centuries. The soft cotton is lightweight and super absorbent, making them dry much more quickly than a traditional cotton terry towel. They often come in bright colors as well as more muted tones, and are extremely versatile for bath and beach, even as a scarf, sarong, or a summer throw. Oh and—they’re finished off with simple striped designs and hand-knotted fringe that feed my bohemian longings like no other. Guys, these are just good.

For some reason I could never bring myself to order them online, so the second we decided to visit Turkey last year you better believe I saved room in my suitcase to bring some home. The hard part was not buying 20 of them…I might have slight regrets about only buying half that many. Lucky for you, you don’t have to travel around the world to get your own—here’s a good collection of where to buy them!

Where to buy Turkish towels: L’Aviva Home | Turkish-t | Cuyana | Turkish Towel Store | The Anatolian

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  • Bonzy Sullivan

    I love them too! I got already more than 8 (both bath and hand size). I have a good experience with The Anatolian (an Etsy seller) you mentioned already above. They got excellent prices and product variety.

  • Alison

    These are just so pretty! Canvas Home also has a pretty selection.

  • Turkish towels are my favorite! We only have two at the moment but we’re saving up to buy some more! These fellas are not cheap! At least not the ones we want.

  • PerpetuallyChic

    Thanks for the tip, Alison!

  • PerpetuallyChic

    Definitely worth saving up for, they’re the best!

  • PerpetuallyChic

    Glad to hear you’ve had a good experience with The Anatolian!

  • I can not wait to pick up some of these! Your posts are making me SO excited for my trip.

  • Elizabeth Ball

    Ohh I have been longing for some of these for forever! I stumbled across your blog this week, and I am in love! Thank you for the store links – soo much choice and so fantastic they ship worldwide! Thank you! x

  • I have been seeing these online so much lately and I just love how they look! Do you just use them as regular towels?

    xo Megan, Lush to Blush

  • PerpetuallyChic

    Yes! They replace your bath towels, hand towels, beach towel, etc. They take a little getting used to, and get softer with time. We love them!

  • Caner

    Thanks for this post. Turkish towels are getting so popular all around the world. They are great for bathroom, beach or on the go. The great thing is they are made of natural fibres, and they are really fast drying because the woven fabric can breathe. When people are used to them, they would not go back using terry,fluffy towels.

    Another place to buy online is Koza.

  • Steph

    http://www.smyrnacollection.com is another amazing source..

  • Shaleen Sisk Davidson

    Hi! I absolutely LOVE your website! It is SO inspiring!! I stumbled across it while researching my upcoming trip to Greece/Turkey on Pinterest.
    Can you tell me approximately how much you paid in Turkey per towel?
    Also, did you happen to buy any Kilims while on your visit? I am curious if you did, where and how much did you pay. I know that prices can range. I trust your style, so I will stick to what you say.
    Thanks!
    Shaleen

  • PerpetuallyChic

    Hi Shaleen, thank you! Glad you’re finding some good info for your upcoming trip! We loved Greece & Turkey. I honestly can’t remember how much we paid per towel, but they were affordable. We purchased ours at Egin Textiles in the Grand Bazaar. I’d recommend stocking up on as many as you can fit in your suitcase…I wish we’d bought more!

    We bought a vintage patchwork Kilim from Dhoku, also in the Grand Bazaar. It is one of the nicest carpet shops, and their prices are fixed but reasonable. We didn’t want to deal with haggling, and we wanted to buy good quality and have reliable shipping from a trusted vendor. Dhoku has been featured in a lot of design magazines and sells to ABC Carpet + Home, so we knew it was a respected business. They were easy to work with; we had a great experience. Rug prices vary based on size, age, material. Our rug is ~8×6 and I think we paid ~$800-900. It arrived a week after we got home. I’m sure you can find cheaper deals if you’re up for negotiating elsewhere, but we just wanted to bring a beautiful piece home!

  • Hakan Yorulmaz

    Direct from looms… http://www.neareaststore.com

  • Peshtemal City

    Turkish Towels direct from Turkey… http://www.peshtemalcity.com

  • Peshtemal City