Picture this: You’ve just finished a hot, steamy shower. You turn off the water and step out into the cold air. Not so pleasant, right? But now imagine that you’re wrapped in a warm towel. That picture just became a whole lot more luxurious, didn’t it?
A towel warmer can do more than just give you cozy vibes, says Michael Tidwell, CEO at Only Towel Warmers, an online towel warmer retailer. “A towel warmer can also serve several other purposes, such as warming the bathroom, drying towels for multiple uses and helping with mold and mildew caused by the wet fabric sitting around.” If you tend to really wet your towels after a shower, this could help you go through fewer towels in a week.
Additionally, if you have a pet that you bathe at home, a warm towel can make the bath process a little less uncomfortable for them. And towel warming racks can be useful for drying bathing suits and other items. So while a towel warmer can feel like it only serves the purpose of luxury, it’s also practical. To help you shop for one, I spoke to Tidwell about what features to consider, then sourced highly-rated options in a range of prices.
Disclaimer: Because Tidwell works for an online towel warmer retailer, I did not ask him for specific product recommendations.
The best towel warmers
To curate the below list, I focused on highly-rated towel warmers across different price points, types and sizes.
Best electric towel warmers
This large electric towel warmer can accommodate up to two oversized towels or a bathrobe. The built-in timer allows you to select 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes of heat, according to the brand. After the heat cycle has ended, your towels will stay warm for up to 20 minutes, according to Live Fine. The bottom of the base has rubber grippers so it won’t slide on a tile floor, and the lid has a handle so you can easily remove it or place it back on once you add or remove a towel.
Like the Live Fine model, this towel heater can hold two oversized towels. It reaches its full heating capabilities in six minutes and has an auto shut-off at 60 minutes, according to the brand. It also comes with a citrus fragrance disc that slides into the lid to leave your towels with a slightly orange scent.
The largest towel warmer on our list, this model can fit two oversized towels, with room for a smaller hand towel or washcloth. It has a built-in timer to heat your towels for 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes before the automatic shut-off kicks in. The base also has built-in cord storage, allowing you to keep the cord tucked out of site when not in use.
This option takes 10 minutes to warm your towels and you can set it so they stay warm for 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes before the machine shuts off. The bucket holds up to two oversized towels and is lightweight and has a handle for easy portability, according to the brand. Beyond towels you can warm up your pajamas in this device.
Best warming towel racks
Don’t have a ton of floor space? This towel warmer is built to be mounted on the wall and can be hardwired or plugged into an available outlet. Just drape your towel over the top bar so it hangs down on both sides, then turn the device on (it can stay on for up to nine hours, and has an auto shut-off) and the bars will heat up within five minutes to warm your towel. It can also be used to dry about two to three full-size bath towels after you’ve used them.
Heat up to two towels on this 8-bar, wall-mounted towel warmer. The timer can be set for 15 or 30 minutes and has an automatic shut-off to conserve energy. This rack cannot be hardwired but it comes with a plug-in cord that is six feet long.
This four-bar frame works free-standing or wall-mounted and includes hardware for both. It warms up in 15 to 20 minutes, drying towels, robes, and swimsuits while using less power than an average light bulb,according to the brand. The 7-foot power cord also has an illuminated on/off switch.
How I picked the best towel warmers
I consulted Tidwell for guidance to help you shop for a towel warmer. Since he works for a retailer that sells towel warmers, I did not ask him for product recommendations. Here are the features recommended to keep in mind when shopping for a towel warmer:
- Type: There are wall-mounted towel warming racks and freestanding warming racks that you hang towels on. There are also bucket-style warmers that you place towels in to warm them up. When choosing between these, consider the space you have. A standing towel rack will take up the most space, whereas a wall-mounted rack will take up the least floor space. Bucket warmers take up a similar amount of space as a small trash can.
- Size: Towel warmers are mostly found in small and large sizes. Small warmers are intended for washcloths and hand towels (like the kind you see at a nail salon). In contrast, larger warmers can usually accommodate two oversized towels or three regular towels. For this story, I focused on larger warmers that accommodate bath towels.
- Rating: I focused on towel warmers with at least a four-star average rating from at least two hundred or more shoppers, some with several thousand.
Is it okay to put wet towels in a towel warmer?
The short answer is yes, you can put wet towels in your warmer. Tidwell says a towel warmer can be a great way of preventing mildew from building up on damp towels that are lying around. That said, you should avoid putting soaking wet towels in there — damp is a better way to go. Unlike a dryer, a towel warmer doesn’t tumble the contents around, so there is no way to get enough hot airflow around a super wet towel to dry it fully.
Frequently asked questions
Towels come in various materials but are most commonly made with some type of cotton — a fabrication perfectly suited to a towel warmer. “Cotton towels hold heat well compared to [other] materials,” says Tidwell. “This makes cotton a great choice to use with a warmer.” As for other common materials used for towels, they should all be fine in a warmer. Linen towels tend to be a bit thinner, so they may not take as long to heat and polyester towels tend to be denser, so may take more time.
Yes. Most of the towel warmers we featured on the list above also suggest putting a bathrobe or pajamas in them to get them nice and toasty before slipping them on.
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Meet our towel warmer expert
At NBC Selected, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Michael Tidwell is the CEO at Only Towel Warmers, an online retailer that sells towel warmers, bidets and more. Because he works for a brand that sells towel warmers, I did not ask him for product recommendations.
Why trust NBC Selected?
I am a commerce editor at NBC Selected and a journalist who regularly covers wellness, beauty, home and lifestyle. I have written about how to hand wash workout clothes, the best bath towels on Amazon and more. For this story, I interviewed a towel warmer expert on what to consider when shopping for one and rounded up highly-rated warmers that met the given criteria.
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