Why Your Gym Needs a Variety of Towels
- Created: Tuesday, 04 June 2019 09:55
Sure, members can bring their own towels from home — and many do — but offering a selection of towels for use in your gym space shows that you are anticipating their needs and dedicated to providing them with a good, hassle-free workout. There's nothing worse than arriving at the gym ready to swim laps, only to discover that your towel never made it into your gym bag.
Importance of a Good Gym Towel
Providing gym towels for your members isn't just about cleanliness, although that is a big part of it. And, it's about more than just amping up your customer service. What you may not realize is that keeping a wide selection of gym towels on hand is important for many reasons.
1. Cleanliness
A good workout typically results in a good sweat. Inevitably, that sweat is going to drip somewhere. While some of your members may be good about remembering to bring along an absorbent towel to wipe their faces and clean up after themselves, many forget. When you provide towels for your gym members, it encourages them to be more diligent about cleanliness — both for themselves and the equipment around them.
Why is cleanliness so important?
When moisture is left to dry on equipment, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. Combine that with the heat that's in your gym's sauna or a slightly stuffy workout space, and you're leaving your members susceptible to germs of all kinds. Sure, your cleaning staff is going to tackle some of this problem with their routine cleaning, but providing your members with the tools they need to clean up after themselves can help to mitigate the problem in the meantime. You don't want your members to share viruses and various illnesses with each other just because your equipment isn't being properly cleaned.
Having towels on hand also helps your members keep themselves clean. Everyone knows that guy who runs on the treadmill until it's slick with sweat or that woman who lifts until she's dripping sweat. Giving them the means to wipe up while they're running or in between sets helps them stay clean, dry and comfortable. And it keeps other members from getting grossed out by all the sweat flying off the treadmill next to them!
2. Safety
Sweat residue left on a set of dumbbells can make them slippery and difficult to grip. Pool water that's tracked down a tile hallway can quickly become a slippery mess. By providing your members with towels to dry off and clean up, you can prevent injuries. The last thing a gym owner needs is someone to throw out their back or sprain their ankle because the equipment or floor was too slippery.
3. Environmental Awareness
What happens to a paper towel after it's been used to wipe down a piece of equipment? It's thrown into the trash. Multiply that one piece of paper by how many pieces of equipment are in the gym and how many members come through daily and, well, that's a lot of wasted paper. When you encourage your members to use towels, you're cutting down on the amount of waste paper you're sending out in your weekly garbage disposal. Help your gym and its members go green by encouraging them to use reusable towels.
4. Comfort
Some of your members may barely break a sweat while others likely look like they've gone for a swim after spending 30 minutes lifting weights. For those who tend to sweat a lot, it's important to have easy access to towels. When they have a towel nearby, they can wipe their hands, faces, arms and legs without having to pause their workout to go hunt for a towel or dig around in a gym bag.
5. Good Gym Etiquette
All gyms have a set of rules they expect their members to follow. These rules vary from one gym to another, but the basic rules include sharing equipment, dressing appropriately, respecting other members and cleaning up when finished. When you provide your members with towels, you are encouraging them to follow the rules of etiquette you have established for your gym. After all, how can they clean up after themselves if they don't have the proper equipment to do so? Providing your members with towels for cleaning up during and after a workout shows that you're committed to their comfort and to helping them be kind to the other members around them.
What Can You Use Gym Towels For?
If you're going to invest in bulk gym towels, then you want to know that they're going to be put to good use. So, what can you use gym towels for?
1. Drying off After a Swim
Keeping towels poolside is a great amenity to offer your members. While many regular swimmers typically pack their own, everyone forgets once in a while. Having extras on hand means they don't have to forego their swim or drip excess water along the floor of the locker room after finishing their laps.
Besides the pool, having clean towels near a sauna, hot tub and showers in the locker room is also a great convenience factor.
2. Keeping Equipment Clean
Most gym rules include instructions about cleaning off equipment after use. If you expect your members to adhere to these rules, then you need to provide them with plenty of towels for clean up. Keeping towels in various locations around your gym space makes it easy for members to grab a towel quickly to wipe down weights, hand grips, mirrors and other tools. They can also be used to wipe down mats or the floor after an invigorating workout class.
3. Taking Care of Your Members
Attracting new members and retaining the ones you have is a primary goal of any gym. You're always looking for ways to show your members that you're supportive of their health and fitness goals. And you want to make it as easy as possible for them to get a good workout. When you stock your gym and locker room with a variety of towels, it shows that you care about cleanliness and comfort. You want the best for your members, and you're committed to making sure they have everything they need. Providing towels can go a long way in increasing retention rates — and people who are happy with their gym and its amenities are certain to encourage their friends to check it out too!
4. Reducing Waste
Yes, making the switch away from paper towels means you'll be responsible for laundering towels — or paying a service to do so — but making the switch from paper to fabric towels will significantly reduce the amount of trash your gym produces each day. This will make cleanup easier on your staff, freeing them up to spend more time doing other things to maintain and improve your facilities — such as conversing with members and answering questions.
Different Types of Gym Towels
Buying towels for your gym in bulk is an excellent way to up your customer service game. But it only works if you know what to buy. Different kinds of towels can benefit your members in several different ways. So, before you stock up, consider purchasing a variety of towels for use throughout your facility.
1. Hand Towels
Hand towels are smaller towels that are great for stocking in and around workout areas. Members can grab a towel at the start of their workout and use it as they move around to different pieces of equipment. Or, when these smaller towels are stocked nearby, they can grab one in between sets to wipe down equipment or themselves. Keeping a bin or basket nearby for used towels allows members to toss the used ones aside after their workout and makes it easy for your staff to collect them for cleaning at the end of the day.
2. Bath Towels
Bath-sized gym towels are ideal for stocking poolside or in the locker room for easy access. When you purchase towels made from 100 percent cotton, they provide a soft feel, yet they're durable — meaning they stand up to long-term use and frequent washing. Your members will feel pampered by their luxurious feel, and your business manager will love them because they are long-lasting — a double win!
3. Washcloths
Washcloths are smaller than bath towels and hand towels, but they are just as effective at wiping off a forehead or piece of equipment. For gym patrons who don't sweat as much or simply need to wipe down a small piece of equipment, these may be a more manageable alternative to the other larger towels. It's also nice to have them on hand in locker rooms for members to use when they're showering.
4. Yoga Towels
If your gym offers yoga as one of its workout classes, then stocking towels in your yoga studio is a must. It's difficult to achieve downward dog or any number of yoga positions when your hands are slipping in sweat. When yogis have a towel nearby, they can keep their hands dry and their mats from becoming slippery.
5. Microfiber Towels
Microfiber towels are becoming more common for athletes and gym goers because of their absorbent nature. A microfiber towel can handle a lot of moisture, which means it will last longer during an intense workout and dry more quickly than its cotton counterpart. It also holds up better to frequent washing, so it will last longer and not require frequent replacement.
Economy vs. Premium Towels
When you purchase towels from Towel Super Center, you'll notice that we offer a wide selection of economy and premium towels. While economy towels are the less expensive of our products, the word "economy" doesn't mean poor quality. In fact, we stand behind the durability of each towel we sell, and we are confident that they will withstand everything your gym members can throw at them.
The reason we offer a less-expensive economy option is that many gym owners hesitate to provide towels because of the ongoing cost of laundering them. Many of our customers have found that when they buy our economy towels — which are still made from high-quality cotton designed to stand up to regular use and washing — they can also afford the cost of outsourcing the laundering of the towels too.
On the other hand, our premium towels are especially soft, providing a luxurious feel for gym goers. After one or two uses of these premium towels, your gym members may start preferring your towels to the ones they bring from home! Our premium towels are also known for their durability. They will last through many washings and handle all the wear and tear of being used daily.
Color Options
While many gym owners opt to purchase white towels because they are easy to launder, buying colored towels can be a great way to keep your towels organized. For example, you can buy blue towels to keep poolside, green towels for your workout classes, including your yoga studio, and black towels for your gym space.
Purchasing colored towels is also a great way to carry your gym's branding throughout your space. For example, if your gym's logo contains red and yellow, consider buying towels in these colors to carry the theme throughout your building.
Buying Wholesale Gym Towels
Providing different types of towels for your members is a great way to improve your customer service. It's also a practical way to keep your facilities clean and safe throughout the day.
It's no secret that towels can get expensive — especially if you need a lot of them. Buying wholesale towels for your gym is the best way to get the towels you need at a price you can afford. And there's no better bargain out there than Towel Super Center.
Offering a wide variety of towels at affordable prices, Towel Super Center is known for providing great products and great customer service. We're the leading online supplier of wholesale towels, and we offer friendly service and a high-quality product.
Browse our selection of gym towels and let us help you take your gym to the next level.
