HYDRYX Hard-Core Workout Towel

Used this over the weekend and at the gym this morning. Although wiping your face with this material doesn't 'feel' like it is removing much perspiration, it definitely works. Because you use the towel dampened with cool water, it tends to feel a bit clammy when you wipe with it. However, it does help to keep you cool, and it definitely soaks up the sweat.Definitely going to continue using it for a few weeks. I'll report back here if my opinion changes.[Updated: December 23rd, 2011] I've been using the towel (actually have three of them) for months now, and I would not go back to using normal cloth gym towels. The key to keeping them fresh and clean smelling is this: After each workout, rinse the towel with clean water. Wring out as much as you can, then hang it to dry completely - it will get stiff as a board - before using it again. I have three of these that I use in rotation, allowing the other two to dry fully between workouts. They feel so much better than a regular towel during an intense workout.

I've used this towel now for 1 month and there are two main issues that you should consider before you purchase this item.First, the main problem with this towel is that it is a "high maintenance" towel because it has very bad odor issues (I'll explain in this review how to deal with this). And second, I only like using this towel when I do cardio. It just doesn't "work" well when using it while lifting weights, stretching, yoga or similar workouts.On to my review:My reaction to this towel when I first opened it up was: "That's strange. This is almost identical to my sheepskin chamois that I use to dry my car." Then I wiped my forehead with it and I immediately noticed a strong rubbery, chemical odor. I also noted that it didn't feel anything like a traditional towel. At this point, I was about to pack it back up and return it, but I decided to give it more of a chance and at least take it to the gym once.I figured that I would wash it to see if the smell would go away. I washed it according to the instructions with a mild soap and water. To my surprise, once I added the soap, the water started wringing out blue. Even now, after several washes with soap (maybe 20), the blue colored water has not stopped coming out of it, although it has diminished. Washing the towel did lessen the scent, but it did not remove it entirely. So I decided to try something else. I put the towel outside on a hot, sunny day and let it dry out completely. After a few hours, all the moisture had evaporated and the towel became very dry and stiff (just like a chamois does). I wet it again, and to my delight, the rubbery scent was completely gone!Now, on to the gym. Contrary to what another review here says of this product, this towel does leave equipment wet. And if I sling it over my shoulder, my shirt will absorb some of the water. It's not like the towel is leaving puddles of water, but to say that no water comes off of it is inaccurate. Also, if you sling it over your shoulder, the towel quickly becomes equal to your body temperature, so therefore it is no longer cool. Lifting weights with this towel was too awkward so I switched back to my regular white hand towel and was much happier.On to cardio. As the sweat started to pour out of me and as my body heat began to rise, I used this towel to wipe my face. At that moment, I understood what this towel was all about: Because it's wet, it's very cool. And when I wiped my face, it cooled me off, absorbed my sweat, and it felt VERY exhilarating. Unfortunately, because of the odor problems with this towel, I've slowly started to revert back to my ordinary hand towel. Read on to see why.I've noticed that if I leave the towel in my gym bag for more than 24 hours, it starts to develop a VERY bad odor. Kind of like vomit. This odor is much worse if I store it wet in its container. The only way for me to be absolutely sure that this towel doesn't have any foul scent when I'm ready to use it is to wash it with soap and let it dry out and not leave it in my bag for more than 24 hours. All of this maintenance takes a significant amount of time and effort for just a few minutes of comfort at the gym.Bottom line is that yes, this towel feels good during cardio. And since I already spent the money it, I'm willing to "put up" with all the maintenance. But had I known that it would be so much trouble, I wouldn't have purchased it, and more than likely in another month or two, I'll probably be tired of dealing with it and I'll go back to my regular old hand towel.

I have to start this review by telling anyone looking that this "towel" must be wet in order to be used. If that sounds a little crazy then let me explain.When I bought this item I had no idea I'd have to keep it wet. When it came in the mail it was wrapped up in plastic and was, well, wet. I thought this was odd because how can something wet absorb sweat? The way this thing works is like so:1) It is so incredibly absorbent that it can be damp yet still absorb a lot more water.2) Because it remains damp it also remains cool. When you rub yourself down it cools your whole body.Now, if you're wondering how you can carry around a wet towel without making a mess--here is the answer. Water will only leech out of this towel to a fabric that is more absorbent than it is. I can tell you after using it for a while that almost nothing is more absorbent. So you can drape in over your tank top, for example, and your tank won't get wet.It is an interesting product that has the bast applications when you are sweating a LOT. I like it most for running on hot days. Even if i leave it in the car for an hour, in the sun, somehow it comes out cool. You'll probably wind up leaving it home for days when you don't plan to sweat a lot.Lastly, it is unclear from the packaging if it is machine washable so I'm not really sure how to clean it. For now just soaking it and wringing it out is working fine.

I use this towel everyday while working out. What I like about it is, because it stays damp, it feels cool to the touch. Trust me it helps when your really hitting it hard and you've got sweat just pouring off of you. It cools you down while soaking up the sweat. You almost feel dry after using it to wipe your face.

I'm a runner and i was looking for a towel that i can carry to wipe the sweat from my eyes. this looked like good option but it's not.I took it out for a 10 mile run the results were not to my liking. i got the towel nice and wet to get it softit was not to bad to carry at first but what happens as it dries it begins to stiffen.when you try to use it to wipe away sweat it does not do a good job because it needs to soak it up slowlythe only good thing is it does feels cool against your skin while it is wetI had this type of towel before for my car it works better on the car then the skin

Bought this for my wife and she likes it and says it works great on wiping the sweat and keeping her cool. The only negative thing she said about the towel is it's a little bigger than she used to for carrying around the gym from 1 machine to another. She likes the container that comes with it because it won't get anything wet when getting in the car or putting it in her back pack. Thinking of buying a few more for the family too.