Inexpensive Peshtemal Towels

Have you heard of Peshtemal Towels?  Last Fall, I began researching alternatives to our standard Charisma towels that we purchased years ago from Costco.  I stumbled upon a recent trend in American bathrooms called the Peshtemal towel.  Or, in other words Hamam / Turkish towel.  Manufacturers and Blogs claimed them to be very light weight, beautiful and to get better with time.  Travelers seem to love these towels for their ease of use.  When I viewed the pictures of these towels there was no turning back.  The vibrant colors and designs are fabulous.  Practical and fabulous.  Win!  Then, I saw the price tag for an individual towel.  Some Turkish towels companies sell each towel anywhere from $30-$70.  Each.  What?!!  I generally step away when I see a towel price at $15. 

I have had success buying a reasonably priced Moroccan pouf off of Ebay years ago, so I figured with the recent Turkish towel craze there must be some good sellers to be had.  I wanted a range of styles and colors from one individual seller as I did not want to pay for shipping from Turkey more than once.  I spotted Barbo53 on Ebay with very reasonable prices ranging from about $8.99 to $17.99 in loads of different styles, fast shipping and raving reviews.  But alas, most of his colors (in the style I wanted) were sold out.  About a month ago he posted some new styles and I ordered.  Quickly.  A birthday present from my family :)  

Both Pictures are from Barbo53's Ebay Store.

Peshtemal fans suggest that you buy bamboo/organic claiming that they last longer and are better made.  But, you will pay a few dollars more for organic.  The two tan (non-white) towels that I purchased are bamboo / organic.  I do agree that they are better quality in materials and design than my striped tan, red and charcoal towels.  But, the non-organic ones are only getting better with time.

Oh.  Please disregard that 80's pastel wallpaper that is torn off in some places.  Oh.  And, the orangey brown floorboards.  Those will (hopefully) both be removed this summer.  Stay tuned :)

The verdict on Peshtemal:  My husband will take some warming up to.  Literally.  I asked him to continue with our old towels until I have washed the Peshtemals a number of times so the absorbency will be better.  By then, hopefully his opinion will have changed.  These babies dry FAST!  Towels dry pretty quick here in the desert, but when I went to photo these this after noon and moved my husband's old terry towel out of the way it was still soaked from this morning at 6:00 am.  It is 80 degrees out!  The Peshtemals were completely dry.  In my front load dryer, they take approximately 5-10 minutes, and are ready to be folded.  They do take some getting used to.  Others have compared it to drying off with a small bed sheet.  So, on the practical side for bodily use; they are a yes (but do take time getting used to).  On the pretty side, YES!  I love the pops of color and pattern on the walls.  They evoke some kinda chic and serene calmness to the space.....I am a sensual weirdo, I know.

I love the material so much on these that I plan to order a few more of the tan striped one on the towel bar to use as pillow fabric for our bedroom and in the boy's room.  More on that soon!

Update**  Baran (Barbo53) now has their own website.  You can find them at http://www.peshtemalandmore.com/.