Slowtide Review

About Slowtide

Slowtide started in 2015 when three friends from the surf industry decided beach towels were boring. Dario Phillips (former Americas Marketing Director at Quiksilver), Wylie Von Tempsky (former head designer at Billabong and Nike SB), and Kyle Spencer (former Design Director at DC Shoes) launched the brand out of Costa Mesa, California. The idea was simple: make beach towels that actually look good and hold up.

They began with a small collection of custom-dyed, artist-designed cotton beach towels. Ten years later, Slowtide sells around 292 products spanning beach towels, bath towels, ponchos, blankets, robes, and travel accessories. They pull in roughly $157K per month in revenue, which puts them firmly in the mid-size DTC category.

Here’s the thing. Slowtide built its reputation on beach and surf culture. The bath towel line came later as the brand expanded. That matters because you’re essentially buying from a beach brand that added bath products, not a bath brand with decades of towel-making expertise.

Materials and Construction

Slowtide uses sustainably sourced cotton certified through the Cotton LEADS program, which tracks fibers back to farms in the USA and Australia. All products carry OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, so they’ve been tested for harmful chemicals and allergens. Their recycled polyester products (microfiber towels, camp blankets, fleece) use 100% GRS-certified recycled materials, mostly sourced from plastic bottles.

The bath line breaks down into a few distinct styles:

Guild Waffle Bath Towels run at 350 GSM with a loose textured waffle weave and looped terry on both sides. They measure 30 x 60 inches. These are lightweight and breathable, designed to get softer over time.

Terry and Turkish Bath Towels come in at higher GSM weights, with some bundle sets hitting 500 GSM. The Turkish styles feature a smooth front with a looped terry back for drying.

Beach Towels typically run 400 GSM with a cotton velour face for that smooth feel under the sun and an absorbent terry back. Standard size is 30 x 60 inches.

Look, none of this is Egyptian cotton or even long-staple cotton. It’s sustainably sourced conventional cotton. That’s not a knock against it, but you should know what you’re getting if you’re comparing Slowtide to premium bath towel brands.

Pricing

Slowtide sits in the mid-to-upper range for its category. Here’s what you’ll pay:

• Beach towels: $30 to $45 each
• Bath towels: $36 to $48 each
• Turkish towels: $35 to $45 each
• Ponchos: $55 to $95
• Blankets: $70 to $95
• Bath towel bundles (2-piece): $122 to $144
• Robes: $75 to $95

Sales are frequent. You can often find 25% off on the clearance section. On Amazon, prices tend to run a few dollars cheaper, but the selection is smaller.

For context, you can grab a solid set of Turkish cotton bath towels from a dedicated bath brand for the same price as a single Slowtide bath towel. You’re paying a brand premium here, and you should know that upfront.

What Buyers Say

Most Slowtide reviews skew positive, especially for beach towels and ponchos. Customers consistently praise the designs (they really are creative) and the initial softness of the cotton. The quick-dry travel towels get strong marks from hikers and surfers who need something lightweight.

The bath towel feedback is more mixed. Some buyers love the waffle weave and say it gets softer with each wash. Others note the towels feel thinner than expected for the price, especially compared to dedicated bath brands. On Amazon, a handful of reviews mention visible threading issues after just a couple of washes.

On Trustpilot, Slowtide’s UK and EU stores show generally positive reviews, though there are complaints about slow customer service response times and occasional shipping delays. The product quality feedback is mostly favorable. Customer service seems to be the weak spot, not the towels themselves.

Who Should Buy Slowtide?

This brand is for you if:

• You want beach towels with genuinely unique, artist-designed patterns
• Sustainability certifications matter to you (OEKO-TEX, Cotton LEADS, GRS, 1% for the Planet)
• You’re buying across categories like beach, bath, ponchos, and blankets from one brand
• You value the surf and outdoor lifestyle aesthetic

Skip this if:

• You want the thickest, most absorbent bath towels for your money
• Egyptian cotton or premium long-staple cotton is important to you
• You’re price-conscious and want the best bath towel per dollar spent
• You need responsive customer service (they’ve been called slow to follow up)

The Bottom Line

Slowtide knows what it is. It’s a surf-culture brand that makes great beach towels and has expanded into a broader lifestyle line. The sustainability credentials are real, the designs are genuinely creative, and the beach products deliver on their promise.

The bath line is where it gets tricky. You’re paying $36 to $48 for a single bath towel that tops out at 500 GSM with no premium cotton claims. That’s fine if the Slowtide look is what you want in your bathroom. But if you just need towels that are thick, absorbent, and a good deal, you’ve got better options. I wouldn’t call it overpriced, but I’d call it brand-priced. You’re paying partly for the name, partly for the sustainability story, and partly for the design. Whether that’s worth it is up to you.