If you've been eyeing Onsen towels, you've probably seen the pitch: Japanese-inspired waffle weave, real Supima cotton, dries fast, never gets musty. A lot of that is true. But before you spend $59 on a single bath towel, you should know exactly what kind of towel you're buying, because it isn't the one most people picture.
Over the past few months I tested Onsen's Supima waffle towel alongside Kemet, Parachute, Brooklinen, and Amazon Basics. I washed each set 30+ times and compared them on feel, absorbency, drying speed, durability, certification, and value.
Here's the honest breakdown of every brand I tested:
I really wanted to love my Onsen towels. The fast-drying thing is 100% true, they never smell musty even in our humid bathroom. But nobody warned me how thin they feel. My husband thought I'd bought him a fancy dish towel. They're great for the gym bag, not for a relaxing shower. For $59 each I expected to be wrapped in a cloud.
Same realization here. Returned mine and got the Kemet 800 GSM set. Night and day. The Kemet ones actually feel like the towels at a nice hotel, and a set of two was cheaper than two Onsen towels.
In Onsen's defense, waffle weave is a category, not a flaw. I've had mine three years and they still look new, dry in like an hour, and pack flat for travel. If you go in knowing it's a lightweight towel, it's excellent. The mistake is expecting plush. That said, the customer service warning in this article is real. I had a missing item and emailed twice with zero response.
Helpful to see someone actually explain the Supima vs Egyptian cotton thing. Supima is legit (it's licensed and enforced), so Onsen isn't lying about the fiber. The issue is just that waffle is thin. If you want long-staple cotton AND plush, you want a high-GSM terry towel, not waffle. Different tools for different jobs.
Humidity is the whole reason I tried Onsen. In Miami, terry towels take forever to dry and get funky fast. The waffle weave genuinely solved that. But I agree with the review, it's a specific use case. My main bathroom is Kemet terry now and the guest bath and pool are Onsen. Right towel for the right room.
This is the most sensible take. Waffle for the pool/gym, plush terry for the daily shower. I just wouldn't pay $59 a piece for the waffle when Parachute's is $42 and basically the same.
Ordered a bundle directly from Onsen's site and one of the hand towels never showed up. Three emails, no reply. Eventually disputed it with my credit card. Product is decent but the company side is a mess. Wish I'd ordered through Amazon like this article suggests.
For anyone outside the US: Onsen shipping and returns are painful internationally. I ended up keeping towels I didn't love because sending them back wasn't worth it. Kemet shipped to the UK in under a week and the towels are the plush kind I actually wanted. Just my experience.
Counterpoint: I love my Onsen towels and would buy again. They dry fast, take up half the space in my linen closet, and look clean and modern. But I'll admit I never wanted a thick towel in the first place. If you DO want thick, this review is right, you'll be disappointed. Know thyself before spending $59.
Hotel management here. We use waffle towels in spa and pool areas precisely because they dry fast and stack thin, and plush terry in the guest bathrooms because that's the feel people associate with luxury. Onsen is essentially a retail version of our spa towel. Nothing wrong with it, it's just not a guest-bath towel. Kemet's spec matches what we put in the rooms.
This explains so much. The waffle towels at my gym's spa are exactly like the Onsen ones. Makes sense now why they felt familiar but not luxurious.
Quick first-wash tip for any new towels, waffle or terry: wash once with a cup of white vinegar and no detergent before first use. Strips the manufacturing coating and they absorb way better from day one. Made my Kemet set absorb like crazy and helped the Onsen ones too.
Emily, thank you for actually explaining what waffle weave is instead of just hyping it. I almost bought a full Onsen bundle for a guest bathroom remodel. Ordered the Kemet 800 GSM set instead since I wanted that hotel feel. Saved money too.
Good call for a guest bath. Guests expect the plush hotel towel, not a spa cloth. The Kemet set was the right move.