One night, Calvin said, "I want to get you a towel warmer for Christmas. What do you think?" I replied, "I'd love one, but aren't they pricey?" He said, "I'm not sure. Take a look and let me know what you find."
Oh my goodness, it was overwhelming to see how many sizes, colors, and types of towel warmers there were! I showed Calvin my exhaustive list and was like, "I don't know where to begin."
He asked, "Did you read the reviews?" I said, "Yeah, they're all mixed. The same warmer gets both 5 and 1 stars. Some say it's amazing, others say it's terrible. Maybe we should wait?"
He said, Yeah, let's think about it. So later that night, I said to him, "Hey, do you think it's not the towel warmers themselves, but the users of them?" Kinda like when someone comes to class and doesn't understand the science behind what we do, and they don’t make the effort to learn more? Maybe I should find out “how to use a towel warmer”. So I typed those exact words into Google, and guess what?
What I discovered was magical.
The negative reviews were written because the users simply didn't understand how to fold the towel to get the most heat. And it had nothing to do with whether the people reviewing it were smart or intelligent; it's just that people who had towel warmers installed didn't know there was actual science to folding the towel to get the most effective heat from a towel warmer. Almost all towel warmers don't include this important instruction in their user manuals!
This is similar to the science behind building heat in yoga practice. Many yoga students don’t realize that generating internal heat involves specific techniques, not just relying on external heaters or warming devices. Understanding these subtle details can make the yoga experience much more effective—just like knowing the right way to fold a towel for a warmer.
I told Calvin that, in lieu of this new data, we should get one. It was a small one (our bath is super small), and it fit just 2 towels, but in the world of towel warmers, size doesn't matter; it's knowing how to fold the towel that matters!
The secret
The secret is simple: folding. When you fold a thick towel properly, heat stays in and moves through the layers. It takes about 30 minutes to warm all layers, 15 for the inside.
This mirrors yoga: if you drape the towel carelessly, it heats unevenly, then the perfectly fine towel warmer gets a negative review, not because of the product, but because the proper technique was missed.
With a little guidance, folding the towel leads to a warm, cozy wrap on a cold day.
Don't worry—it's just a user error.
It's a good reminder that many negative product reviews stem from user error, which is easily fixed with some guidance. I could have missed out on wonderfully warm towels this winter if I hadn't learned. Delightful moments can happen when you let someone guide you and teach you, and you go in with an open heart and a warm towel.
:)
*In case you are interested in how to fold the towel for the most effective warming possible:
Hold the towel tall, fold it in half, then fold it again to make it long and narrow. Place it on the warmer. And in about 30 minutes, you get to snuggle up into the moment and enjoy the present of a delicious experience!
