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When is a towel not just a towel? When it’s a beach towel, of course. Though you can use a bath towel at the beach, and a beach towel in the bath – they are two different animals. So what is the difference?
Size
Beach towels are usually bigger than the average bath towel and certainly much larger than most other towels in the house. Beach towels measure about 30 inches by 70 inches – if you are counting, that’s 2 ½ feet by almost 6 feet. Bath towels are smaller at 27 inches by 50 to 58 inches – or just a bit more than 2 feet by less than 5 feet. A beach towel simply gives you more surface to lounge upon.
Thickness
In the bath, luxury is the rule and “better” towels are supposed to be thicker. Getting out of the bath, you don’t want to risk a chill with wet skin. Thicker towels help to absorb more water so that your body doesn’t stay wet for long. You can put on your clothing quickly and stay toasty warm. There is a downside though, thicker towels take longer to dry out. No problem in the bath but a big deal for the beach. Beach towels are thinner so that they can dry out quickly and work just as well as a cover-up, a sit-upon blanket as they do to dry off.
Colors
Beach towels are most commonly brightly colored with patterns or prints. They are the perfect canvas to show off your style and can even feature a reprint of classic art. They are made for the whole towel to be seen. Bath towels are made to be folded and stacked or hung neatly on the towel rack. Most bath towels are solid colored, at most featuring a single band of design.
Cost
Cost is one area that usually won’t let you tell one from another. Bath towels come in all price ranges – as do beach towels. The difference is however, that most people buy bath towels in sets which can include the towel itself, along with a hand towel and washcloth – often in sets of two or four. Though you might purchase more than one, beach towels are usually priced and sold, individually and it doesn’t always follow that a higher cost means a better towel.
To sum it all up: Beach towels are bigger, thinner, more colorful, and serve more than one purpose. Bath towels are smaller, thicker, tend toward solid colors – but serve mainly one use. Use a bath towel to dry off quickly in the bath, a beach towel to dry, wear and sit upon…at the beach.
