The slip-free yoga towels from Leus will transform your yoga practice - I do hot yoga, and they protect my mats from sweat and wear and tear

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• When I started practicing hot yoga, I found my inexpensive mat didn't stand a chance against my pools of sweat. Dampness lingered for days - and frankly, it was getting pretty gross.
• I never gave much thought to yoga mat towels and was skeptical they'd make much of a difference, if any. I figured a pricier mat was my only option.
• Thankfully, these soft, grippy mat towels from Leus ($32-$40) proved me wrong, absorbing every drop of sweat to ensure a slip-free practice. Plus, they come in eye-catching designs - I always get compliments in class.

After growing up in hot and humid Florida, I still equate sweat with a solid workout. To be honest, exercise sans sweat just doesn't deliver the same mental or physical benefits for me. So when I moved to a ski town right before a brutally cold winter this past year, I immediately sought out the best hot yoga studio in town.

That studio became my sanctuary during the winter season. The hot yoga classes left me feeling refreshed, revitalized, and stronger in body and mind. I especially enjoyed their heated power sculpt classes with weights - basically, yoga on steroids - that made me sweat more than I ever have in my life.

Read more: The best yoga mats you can buy

The only problem? My inexpensive yoga mat quickly started to show signs of wear, with tears in the mat and a dampness that lingered for days. After just a few classes, I got seriously grossed out. Luckily, that's when I discovered Leus yoga towels.

My experience with Leus yoga towels

The best part of using Leus yoga towels: I didn't have to invest in a pricier yoga mat. I could just lay a towel on top of my inexpensive mat to protect against sweat as well as wear and tear. Before this, I'd never given much thought to yoga mat towels. Sometimes I'd grab one of the little ones that yoga studios provided, but if they weren't free, I'd usually practice without one altogether.

Looking back, I now see how wrong that was. Using these towels in my practice provides unparalleled grip, stability, and a soft, absorbent surface I can use to wipe off face sweat. The only issue that I've run into is that there's bit of a "scrunching" issue, especially in yoga sculpt classes when I'm jumping around a lot. But in any regular vinyasa flow classes, they stay put nicely.

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Leus towels are made with an antimicrobial, highly absorbent microfiber with a soft touch and rounded edges. At 68 inches by 24 inches, they fit most standard yoga mats, although they probably wouldn't fit oversized versions. Leus also offers matching towels in smaller versions, perfect for those who sweat heavily from their face (ahem, like me.)

These towels are a bit flatter and less plush than other yoga towels I've tried, but to me, that is an advantage. Not only does this make them easier to fold up and transport, it also provides me with more of a solid base for yoga poses. I do recommend spraying them down with a water bottle before class begins to ensure you don't slip and slide before getting sweaty. The towels are machine-washable, but Leus recommends hanging to dry.

The designs

Besides the practical benefits of these yoga towels, Leus' incredibly artistic designs further sold me on them. From a cheeky cacti print to colorful watermelons and a beautiful marble pattern, there is a fun pattern to match anyone's aesthetic. (The towel I use that gets the most compliments - and even shout-outs from yoga teachers mid-class - is the one that looks like a Twister board.)

Plus, the designs look and feel fantastic: Leus uses a printing process that allows for high-quality images, without adding any stiffness that can sometimes occur on printed towels. And if you're not feeling the prints one day, no worries - the towels are reversible and each has a solid color on the other side.

I've also used my Leus yoga towels plenty of times this summer outside of the yoga studio. They're perfect to bring for picnics in the park, on a boat, or to the beach. In fact, I recently brought a couple of towels to an outdoor concert. My friends and I had to sit in grass that was still damp from a rainstorm earlier, but thanks to the towels' superabsorbent powers, we could hardly feel the wet grass beneath us.

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The company

Leus, I should note, is a pretty rad business in itself. They describe themselves as a "collective tribe of all day fun seekers, experience makers and pool party crashers linked by a common love of good times." Their original products were beach towels designed with surfers in mind. Just check out these nifty changing ponchos that make it so easy to change out of wet bathing suits. Lucky for those of us who live in landlocked areas, they also make towels for general active uses, too, from yoga to golf.

The bottom line

For me, there are no drawbacks - except for the fact that I want to buy every single pattern. I'm sure that other yoga towels have similar absorption and grip abilities, but I haven't come across any with such impressive designs.

If you're a hot yoga devotee or even occasional dabbler, these towels are a must-have for your practice. Not only will they add grip and absorb all (seriously, every drop) of your sweat during class, they'll also add a punch of color and personality to your practice.

Buy the Leus yoga towels for $32.05 to $39.99 on Amazon