Gaiam Dry-Grip Yoga Mat - 5mm Thick Non-Slip Exercise & Fitness Mat for Standard or Hot Yoga, Pilates and Floor Workouts - Cushioned Support, Non-Slip Coat - 68 x 24 Inches

How about a ten year anniversary update? I’m back, to order a couple new mats. I’ve ordered five more since this earlier review in 2015, and I STILL love these these wonderful, low maintenance, grippy mats. I tried a Manduka. I really wanted to love it. I scrubbed it with salt (honestly- it was recommended in the owners manual that came with it!), did all the stuff, and hated it so much after nearly busting me arse, that I gave that expensive toy away after a week, and went right back to my Gaiam dry grip. Sorry Manduka, it was you, not me. Have used a Jade at a friend’s house, but unimpressed. It showed dirt, was crazy thin, and smelled. A couple of my Gaiam are easily five, six years old, and have no smell, but I do throw them in the washing machine with vinegar every six months or so, and hang dry them outside. Be aware, though, it will make the self balancing function on your washer sound like a drumline practicing in the laundry room, but it’s well worth it. I actually like the occasional “bubble” or small bit of delamination or scuffing on the mat surface as the mat ages. It doesn’t spread, become even grippier. and it makes the mats absorb sweat (and boy, am I ever a sweater…) I sometimes wish I could figure out how to make all of my stable of mats do that. Yeah, I’m weird, and super particular about my mat(s). The only time I’ve ever had any issue with the “shiny” pattern another reviewer mentioned is when the mats are brand spank new, and only for the first couple of uses. They break in quickly. Since I first ordered, they came out with the XL. Oh, JOY!!!!! In the past ten years, I’ve tremendously upped both my yoga game, and my health, too, losing a ton of weight. I keep three mats in constant rotation, and hang them over a small A-frame step ladder after each use. (I typically do hot yoga five or six times a week.). The oldest mat lives in my car, for use during cardio weight class at the gym. The thought of using a gym mat grosses me out, so I always bring my own. I walk long distances with my mat, but with a gain strap looped over my back, I forget I have it on til I try to go through a doorway. (You’ll eventually perfect the XL mat shimmy!) it’s not a heavy mat. (The Manduka, THAT was a heavy mat. ) Several people at my studio now use these mats because I sing their praises to anyone who will listen. Sorry, studio owner, I love you, I love your studio, and know you’re selling the hundred dollar mats out front. I’ll support you by buying other gear, but this is so much better of a mat. Yoga mats are wildly personal, but for the price, give this one a chance. No salt scrub required. ————————————— I love love love love this mat. Did I mention I love it? I had an old honeycomb foam Gaian mat from Target that wore like iron for a couple of years. Didn't loose a single crumb, but I wanted to upgrade to a better mat. Everyone in my classes uses the trendy brands, but I figured I was so happy with the quality of the first Gaiam, I'd take a chance with one of their better mats. I am so happy I did. The difference over the less expensive Gaiam was immediately noticeable. I'd heard about "grip" but had no idea what it meant. Imagine you are a lizard with those little suction cuppy things on your hands and toes. Yep. You can push your hands forward, your feet apart, and they will not move, no matter how sweaty they are. You can pull them back during Sphinx pose, and your mat does not move. It also sticks to the ground beautifully. No more inch worming mat bunching up between your feet. Because you grip the mat so well, it makes some poses- downward dog, warrior poses, triangle, etc actually more enjoyable. I don't feel like my mat is fixing to slide right out from under me. I have used this mat for about six months now, easily 100+ uses. No signs of wear whatsoever, other than faint scuff marks where I put my feet in down dog. No odor either, even though I sweat an embarrassing lot. The only thing I would NOT do with this mat is fold it. I was in the habit of folding my old mat double and then rolling it, so the part that I practice on never touches the part that's on the floor. I tried that the first day with this mat, and it rolled, but unhappily so. When I went to use it the next day, there was an unsightly crease down the middle. It's still there after months, although it's finally started to fade. I would buy this mat again in a heartbeat. This mat truly took my practice up a notch. My only complaint is, I wish it were about sixth inches wider and 6-12 inches longer. I'm not particularly tall, but I use all my mat and then some, and I loath touching studio floors. Would love one that had the extra wiggle room.

Best. Mat. Ever. It's very much like Lulu The Mat. But a bit smaller in size, lighter & more beautiful. Lulu's The Mat wears down so fast & this one doesn't. Much lighter than manduka. Thicker/comfier than jade harmony which previously was my favorite. The surface is very absorbent. The grip is amazing - way better than traditional mats - I am so secure in warrior 2. I am able to go through half my hot power yoga class without a yoga towel. Then I lay down a towel during core when my sweat starts really dripping. It performs great when hot & damp, but also when dry. This mat is thick which is awesome for my knees in camel, and feels sturdy rather than squishy. I use chained hair elastics attached to a large button to hold it rolled when not in use. Any mat strap would work, I was just feeling creative & made my own. I used another thick mat before, but it was slippery. Then I used jade harmony but it was too thin. This is perfect. Update: I have had this yoga mat for 2 years now!!! I went through TWO yoga teacher trainings using this every day for hours, and often allowing other students to use it. I practice on it every single day. I do restorative yoga, drip-heavy heated power yoga and Bikram, as well as occasionally an outdoor class. It remains immaculate, as though I bought it yesterday! I cannot say enough good things about this mat. I clean it with JUST WATER and I think this is why it has retained its beauty. Occasionally, like every few weeks, I will clean it with either dish soap, vinegar, lemon juice-diluted water with a drop of tea tree oil. Not consistent, just whatever is around. Usually it's water and let hang dry outside. It does not smell (I am a medium-sweater, not a huge dripper but not just a glower). I wish my yoga studio carried this mat, I think I am going to recommend that they do. I don't use it during my teaching only because I feel like I cannot "sell" it up, since we don't carry it. But if we carried it, I would tell every student to buy it. Especially that student who face-planted on her lulu mat. The surface is only slightly worn - it's almost as new looking as the day I bought it. It's a beautiful mat. It's thick and comfortable for those with knee issues, it has not matted down much at all - maybe just slightly after two years & only recently. I think I'll get it in purple next! UPDATE: Year 3 almost to the day. I am finally beginning to see wearing on my beautiful mat. I've been practicing at home regularly & just did a third yoga teacher training. I am starting to notice it wearing down at the top middle & top bottom of my mat. I think it's time for a replacement, but I'll never throw this one away. They'll have to bury it with me. UPDATE: It's STILL my favorite mat after 5 years. It is showing some love wear on the surface but it's not peeling, and i can see some of the threads around the top and bottom of the mat that are starting to be exposed. I kind of want to buy another identical mat but I kind of want this one to last forever and it's still 100% functional. Part of me wants another just to test how much better (or not) a brand new one is because I think this MUST have lost some of its cushioning. Right? Well, it is like the tarot deck I've had for 25 years, I could buy a new one but the old has become an extension of me, one of my favorite possessions in its perfection as it is not new but still exactly perfect. TWELVE YEARS LATER: Welp, she finally died. Over more than a decade of daily use often hours a day, plus two Bengal cats “practicing” with me, it met its end. The surface finally became too scratched up & the cushioning matted down & when I sold my house & downsized pretty much everything (still have the Tarot of the Cat People though haha) … I had to admit that everything has a life cycle. I will be ordering another. My new yoga studio in my new town has beautiful mats for our use & I am taking a break from teaching, so I might delay the replacement purchase. Kind of cool to be writing an update in Vermont at age 48 for a mat that carried me through starting at age 36 in California. Such is yoga, such is life: Namaste.

This mat is AMAZING -- I would recommend it to anyone looking for a supportive, slip resistant mat. Is it super squishy? No. And that's what I was looking for! For me, 5mm is enough to not feel the floor. I do yoga sculpt 3-4x a week, and this mat doesn't have me slipping or sliding out of poses, even when I'm covered in sweat at the end of a workout. It was easy to wipe down, didn't have a smell (it did need to lay flat to uncurl, but that's to be expected). It's heavier than my other mat, but the grip to the floor, and for my hands to the mat, is unmatched in any mat I've used. If you're looking for a high-quality mat that's easy to wipe down, supportive, and non-slip, this is your mat.

I bought this for Pilates, and pulling it out immediately I saw scratches on the top that looked to be used or maybe just scratched in the making. Either way, I don’t care that much. It is a great mat that provides slight support to wrists/knees, and I sweat A LOT and it was not slippery at all. I will say the smell of the mat is really bad. I let it air out all day and people around me could still smell it that night. It’s very strong and chemical smelly. I’m hoping eventually it will air out completely but so far it’s taken a couple days and the smell is still there. I do wish it was an inch or couple inches wider too.

Amazing mat for the price I was honestly shocked by how good this Gaiam mat is. It feels very similar to my Liforme mat in terms of grip and comfort, but at a fraction of the price. I don’t slip during practice, even when I’m sweating, and it has just the right amount of cushioning without feeling squishy. It lays flat, feels durable, and looks great too. If you love the feel of a high-end mat but don’t want to spend that much, this is an awesome alternative. I reach for this one just as often as my more expensive mat — sometimes more. Highly recommend!

UPDATE: I have changed my rating to one star. The first mat I ordered in December, and immediately loved it. Very non-slip for hot yoga. Best mat I've ever used. But about 6 weeks later, the top layer started to bubble up and separate from the bottom layer in spots. The bubbles got bigger and bigger. I contacted Amazon, who were lovely as usual and replaced it immediately, no hassle. Unfortunately, the second one has done the exact same thing after only 3 weeks of use! Big bubbles have formed on one end of the mat. Each time I use it now, they get bigger and bigger and make it impossible to properly stand on. Its unfortunate that the quality is so low, because it really could be a great mat. Returning this second one and trying something else. Overall my favorite mat due to it's non-slippage qualities. I used a LuLuLemon mat for years, but when I joined a new yoga studio, the bottom of it started slipping on the new flooring. It also started to almost stretch out in a strange way. I tried a Jade mat, but slipped all over when I sweated on it. This mat almost never slips at all. I am a heavy sweater, so need one that is as slip proof as possible. It is a bit less wide than the LuLu mat, but I got used to that quickly. Cons: - It does not dry. It's weird. I will wipe it off after a class, and when I unroll it at my next class a day later, it is still just as wet as it was when I rolled it up. My LuLu mat did not do that. You have to let it breathe after a class and basically drape it over something totally unrolled for it to dry. This kind of sucks since I usually keep it in my car. Others at my studio have this mat as well, and there's always looks wet when they roll them out too. - It smells bad. Probably because it doesn't dry well. - What really sucks is that after only 90 days of using it, a bubble popped up on one end. LIke the blue part was starting to separate from the bottom black part. That should not happen after less than 2 months with a mat this expensive. Luckily, Amazon is replacing it for free. Hopefully the new one will not do this. If it does, I will have to find a new and different mat.

Love this mat! Doesn't slip at all and great for yoga. I've had for a few months now and love it. There was a SLIGHT odor but nothing terrible and went away fairly quickly. The thickness is perfect for yoga and love the multicolor design.

I LOVE this yoga mat! And, I'm glad I do b/c I did a ton of online research before my purchase. It just seemed like the Lulu Lemons and other typically high-end mats needed special care that I just did not see myself rendering. I keep my mat in my car so it has to be capable of dealing with extreme temperature fluctuations. I was not interested in dealing with the "break-in" period required for some mats to actually become non-slip. I was not interested in using a mat that was going to be off-gassing its stink to me and the whole yoga studio. This mat meets all of those expectations and more. It has very little odor out of box. It was immediately slip-resistant both between studio floor and mat, and between mat & my feet. I live in WI where temps. range from 90s in the summer to sub-zero in the winters & this mat, so far, has done well being stored in my car. (However, I have not yet had it over a winter.) This mat is big & comfortable! It gives me enough padding so that my bones & joints are protected on hard floors, but is also not too cushy that it throws off my balance. This is not a lightweight mat, so if you are seeking something small & lightweight, this is not the mat for you. That being said, I don't find it particularly heavy. I can still carry it on my bike rack and under my arm with no trouble. It is just a little thick & hard to pick up with one hand, if your hands are rather small like mine. There is one fairly minor thing that I do not love about this mat. There is a pretty & shiny black decoration in the middle of this black mat. That decoration is slippery. I am able to position my feet around this to avoid slipping, and am hopeful that it will become less slippery over time. I like the way the decoration looks, but wish it weren't slippery & I didn't need to work around it. But, overall, not a deal breaker at all! This is a very nice mat, and I love patronizing the company that has provided relatively inexpensive mats to me for many years. UPDATE It's 3.5 years later now & I have a more informed view of this mat. It's still a good size and just the right amount of not too cushy cushioning for me. It has never smelled, and I think the mat is pretty. I need a new mat now & here is why I won't buy this one again: * The pretty, shiny decoration in the middle never stopped being slippery. I got really tired of having to position my feet around it so I didn't slip. * Three years in to 1-2 times use per week & the entire mat became slippery. It has become somewhat dangerous when I an doing very wide stances. My feet slowly slide further and further apart leaving me in a situation where I am torquing a knee or straining a hamstring b/c the pose got wider than I intended due to slipping feet. * Three years in the black coating started coming off. First, I noticed it when I wiped down my mat after use. It turns a white rag black. As it has gotten worse, pieces of the mat roll off on my feet and hands. * My expectation is that a yoga mat, especially a $70 one, should last at least 5 years given the amount I use it and the care I give it.