The Best Gym Towel for Women in Australia

The best gym towel for you depends almost entirely on how you train. A woman who does Reformer Pilates four mornings a week needs something different from a woman who lifts weights three days and does group fitness on the others. Getting this right means understanding what each format actually demands from a towel rather than buying whatever looks good on a shelf.

Why the towel you choose matters

Most gyms in Australia operate a towel policy. No towel, no training floor. Beyond the policy, using a towel on shared equipment is basic hygiene that protects your skin from whatever bacteria has been left on the surface before you arrived. The hygiene argument for a double-sided towel is particularly relevant for women: using the same side of a towel to wipe down a machine and then wipe your face transfers bacteria directly to your skin, which is a straightforward path to breakouts and blocked pores after training. A double-sided towel with a distinct feel on each side removes that problem entirely.

The Cheeky Winx range is double-sided across both the regular gym towel and the hooded gym towel, which means one side goes on the equipment and one side stays clean for you. That distinction matters more than most gym towel guides acknowledge.

The regular gym towel: who it suits

The Cheeky Winx gym towel at 90 x 50 cm is the right choice for women who do Pilates, yoga, cardio, cycling, boxing, barre or any studio-based training where you're moving between exercises and need something compact, lightweight and easy to grab between rounds or stations.

In a Pilates studio specifically, the regular gym towel is the better fit over the hooded version. It's compact enough for a Pilates bag without taking up the whole thing, it lays flat across a reformer carriage as a hygiene barrier when you're lying down, and it goes from your bag to your hand between exercises without the bulk of a larger towel getting in the way. For anyone who does reformer classes back to back with a gym session, having the compact towel for the studio and the hooded version for the weights floor is the most practical combination.

The 90 x 50 cm size works equally well for:

Wiping down cardio equipment between intervals
Laying across a spin bike seat or frame during cycling classes
Group fitness and HIIT classes where you're moving constantly
Mat Pilates and yoga as a barrier between you and the studio floor
Boxing and martial arts classes where you need something easy to pick up quickly

It's microfibre, quick-drying, odour-free and machine washable. It comes with its own drawstring carry bag so it doesn't end up loose at the bottom of your gym bag. And it can be personalised with an embroidered name or initials, which makes it one of the better gifts for any woman who trains regularly.

The Best Gym Towel for Women in Australia 2

The hooded gym towel: who it suits

The Cheeky Winx hooded gym towel is the right choice for women who do bench-based weight training or any session where you're staying on the same piece of equipment for multiple sets. The hood hooks over the bench headrest and holds the towel in place across the full surface for the entire session without sliding. Anyone who has spent time repositioning a flat towel between sets already understands why this matters.

At 140 x 60 cm it covers a full bench from headrest to seat. The double-sided construction keeps the equipment side separate from the side you use on yourself throughout the session. And the zip pocket in the hood is approximately 20 cm deep, which holds a key, gym card, phone and AirPods throughout your session so your valuables are on the bench beside you rather than left in an unlocked locker or balanced on a nearby machine.

The hooded gym towel also has use cases beyond the weights floor that women specifically tend to find useful:

Car seat cover after training: The same hood that fits over a bench headrest fits over a car headrest. After training or a beach session, it protects your car seat from sweat, wet bathers or fake tan on the drive home.
Post-fake-tan seating: One of the most popular use cases in the Cheeky Winx community. The microfibre doesn't drag against skin while the tan develops and the hood keeps the towel anchored to the seat without adjustment.
Kids sport and after-school activities: If you're doing a training session and then picking up kids from sport or swimming, the towel stays in the bag ready for the car seat on the second trip without needing to bring anything extra.

The Best Gym Towel for Women in Australia 3

What to look for in a gym towel regardless of style

Microfibre, not cotton: Cotton gym towels are heavy when wet, slow to dry and hold moisture long enough for bacteria to develop a smell between sessions. Microfibre dries significantly faster, absorbs more relative to its weight and stays odour-free because there's no sustained moisture for bacteria to grow in. The Cheeky Winx gym towels are made from a high-quality blend of polyester and polyamide microfibre, which is the combination that gives the best performance across absorbency, drying speed and durability.

Double-sided: As above. One side for equipment, one side for you. This is a hygiene consideration that matters particularly for your skin and is worth checking before you buy any gym towel.

Size: Big enough to cover the equipment you're using it on without being so large it becomes impractical to carry. The 90 x 50 cm is the right size for studio and cardio use. The 140 x 60 cm covers a full gym bench.

Comes with a carry bag: A gym towel that comes with its own carry bag means it doesn't shed microfibre onto everything else in your bag and packs down neatly enough that it's not taking up half your gym bag by itself.

Design worth actually carrying: Most gym towels come in plain colours that look identical to every other gym towel in the room. Cheeky Winx gym towels come in over 40 designs with new drops added regularly. Personalisation with an embroidered name or initials in pink, blue, black or white thread makes the towel immediately identifiable and turns a practical item into something worth owning rather than something you replace when it wears out.

If you train across multiple formats

A lot of women train across both studio and weights environments during the week. Three mornings of Pilates or group fitness and two afternoons lifting is a common split. In that case, the most practical setup is a 90 x 50 cm regular gym towel for the studio sessions and a hooded gym towel for the weights sessions. Both pack down small enough to live in the same gym bag permanently without the bag becoming unmanageable.

Browse the full Cheeky Winx gym towel collection and the hooded gym towel range to find the right combination for how you actually train. Both are available with personalisation through the personalised towel collection.

The Best Gym Towel for Women in Australia 4

Frequently asked questions

What size gym towel do women need?

For Pilates, cardio, studio classes and group fitness, the 90 x 50 cm Cheeky Winx gym towel is the right size. It's compact, fits in any gym bag and covers everything you need for studio-based training. For bench-based weight training, the 140 x 60 cm hooded gym towel covers the full bench from headrest to seat and stays in place without adjustment.

Is a hooded gym towel worth it for women?

If you do bench-based weight training, yes. The hood anchors to the bench headrest and holds the towel in place for your entire session without sliding. The zip pocket in the hood keeps your valuables secure on the bench beside you. Beyond the gym it also works as a car seat cover, a post-fake-tan seat protector and more. For women who do studio-based training rather than weights, the regular 90 x 50 cm gym towel is the more practical choice.

Why is a double-sided gym towel important for women?

Using the same side of a gym towel on shared equipment and then on your face transfers bacteria directly to your skin, which can cause breakouts and blocked pores after training. A double-sided towel with a different feel on each side means one side stays dedicated to equipment and one side to you, removing that risk entirely.

Can I personalise a gym towel as a gift for a woman who trains?

Yes. Cheeky Winx gym towels and hooded gym towels can be personalised with embroidered names or initials in pink, blue, black or white thread, up to 10 characters, done in Brisbane with a 1 to 3 business day turnaround. Browse the personalised towel collection to see the full range of designs available with personalisation.

What gym towel is best for Pilates?

The 90 x 50 cm Cheeky Winx gym towel is the better choice for Pilates. It's compact enough for a Pilates bag, lays flat across a reformer carriage as a hygiene barrier and is easy to manage between exercises. The hooded gym towel is designed primarily for bench-based training and is larger than most Pilates bags are set up to accommodate comfortably.

How do I wash a microfibre gym towel?

Cold machine wash on a gentle cycle with regular detergent and no fabric softener. Fabric softener leaves a residue on microfibre that reduces its absorbency over time. Air dry rather than tumble drying to extend the life of the material. For the full care guide, read our post on why a gym towel is a hygiene non-negotiable.

The right gym towel makes every session a little more straightforward. Browse the full Cheeky Winx gym towel range and the hooded gym towel collection and find the one that fits how you actually train.