For a studio, the mats that work are the ones you can wash or wipe between classes, dry by the next morning, stack without damage and reorder in the same weave a year later. Washable cotton rugs suit sweaty classes where students share mats; wipe-clean grass mats suit gentle classes, meditation and a low cost per mat. Handwoven mats vary slightly in shade from batch to batch, so decide early whether that is a feature or a problem for your room. Then write to us through the Contact page with quantities, mats and dates; lead times depend on the loom schedule.
What matters in a studio mat
A home practitioner cares about how a mat feels. A studio owner also cares about what happens to it twenty times a week.
Washing. Student mats collect sweat from many bodies, and a mat that can only be wiped is only ever wiped. Our cotton rugs are hand washed cold with a mild natural detergent and dried flat in shade; the two Diamond mats can go in a machine on a delicate 30 °C cycle in a laundry bag. Our grass mats are shaken out and wiped, never soaked. Decide which routine your studio can actually keep up.
Drying. A wet cotton rug needs a flat, shaded, airy place overnight; ten of them need a rack. Grass mats dry in minutes after a wipe.
Weight and storage. A cotton rug at 1.4–1.5 kg rolls and stacks; twenty is about 30 kg on a shelf. A sambhu grass mat is about 1 kg. Never store either damp.
Replacement cycle. A cotton rug in daily studio use thins and fades over years rather than months, and the natural latex layer underneath softens after many washes; a thin fresh coat restores the grip. We have written about wear honestly in How long does a cotton yoga mat last. We give no fixed guarantee because use varies so much.
Cost per mat. Our grass and banana fibre mats sit at ₹1,699–₹2,000 at the time of writing and the cotton rugs at ₹3,499–₹4,499; ask us about quantities.
The three mats we suggest for studios
Sambu Frame, for a house mat
Sambu Frame is sambhu grass woven with GOTS-certified organic cotton in the weave our weavers call the TV pattern: a warm tan field with a paler border. It is 3 mm, 183 × 68.5 cm, about 1 kg, with a natural latex grip underneath, and ₹1,799 at the time of writing. Cool, firm and quick to wipe, it suits gentle hatha, pranayama and meditation classes, and makes a low-cost loan mat for students who forget theirs. It is not cushioned, so it is not the mat for a class that spends twenty minutes kneeling.
Indico, for sweaty classes
Indico is 5 mm of GOTS-certified organic cotton dyed in indigo, 183 × 68 cm, about 1.4 kg, ₹4,499 at the time of writing. In a hot or vinyasa room it does what cotton does: absorbs sweat, grips better as palms dampen, and goes into a bucket afterwards. One colour across the room looks orderly even with batch variation. Indigo rubs a little when new and the first washes carry colour, so wash new mats separately before they go on the floor.
Prana Shakti, for the front of the room
Prana Shakti is the six-ply chakra rug: 5 mm, 188 × 69 cm, about 1.5 kg, rose ground with seven plant-dyed bands, ₹3,499 at the time of writing. Studios tend to buy a few for the teacher's mat or workshops rather than the whole floor; its 188 cm length suits taller students. Same hand-wash care as Indico.
All three have a thin layer of natural tree latex brushed onto the underside. If any of your students is allergic to natural latex, choose with care and write to us first; the cloth-backed Darbha is the one mat we make without it.
Side by side for studio use
| Sambu Frame | Indico | Prana Shakti | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Gentle classes, meditation, loan mats | Hot and vinyasa classes, shared mats | Teacher's mat, workshops, tall students |
| Thickness | 3 mm | 5 mm | 5 mm |
| Cleaning between classes | Shake and wipe | Wipe; wash weekly or as needed | Wipe; wash weekly or as needed |
| Full wash | Never soak | Hand wash cold | Hand wash cold |
| Drying | Minutes | Overnight, flat, in shade | Overnight, flat, in shade |
| Weight to stack | About 1 kg | About 1.4 kg | About 1.5 kg |
| Batch variation | Tan shade varies slightly | Indigo depth varies slightly | Band colours vary slightly |
| Price (at the time of writing) | ₹1,799 | ₹4,499 | ₹3,499 |
Setting up washing and drying
If you buy cotton, plan the laundry before the mats arrive. A large tub, cold water, a mild natural detergent and a slatted rack in a shaded, ventilated spot will handle a week's rotation. Wash new rugs separately for the first few washes; plant dyes release a little colour at first, which is normal. Dry flat, never in direct sun or a tumble dryer, and never roll a rug that is still damp. In the monsoon a fan matters more than heat; see How to dry a yoga mat in the monsoon.
Handwoven variation, stated plainly
Across a bulk order expect small differences in shade between dye lots, a little variation in width, and tassels that are knotted by hand. None of these is a defect; what we do consider a fault is on our Returns page. If you want the order woven from one dye lot as far as possible, tell us; it may lengthen the lead time, and we would rather say so now than surprise you.
How to enquire
Write to us through the Contact page with the mats you are considering, approximate quantities, the date you need them by and your delivery address. We will come back with what the loom schedule allows, a price for the quantity and whether a sample makes sense first; we do not quote lead times here because they depend on what is already on the looms. The step-by-step version is in Wholesale and studio orders: how to enquire; shipping terms are on the Shipping page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best yoga mat material for a studio?
It depends on the class. For hot or vinyasa classes where students share mats, washable woven cotton is the practical choice because it absorbs sweat and can be fully washed. For gentle, seated or meditation classes, wipe-clean grass mats are quicker to maintain and lower in cost. Foam mats are cushioned and cheap but can only be wiped. Many studios keep a mix.
How many yoga mats does a studio need?
Enough for your largest class plus a few spares, and, if you buy cotton, extra to cover mats that are drying: a hand-washed cotton rug needs a shaded night to dry, so on washing day a share of the mats is out of use. Grass mats dry in minutes and need fewer spares.
Can TwinsPoles supply mats in bulk for a yoga studio?
Yes. Write to us through the Contact page with the mats, approximate quantities and the date you need them, and we will tell you what the loom schedule allows and quote for the quantity. Lead times depend on what is already on the looms, so we do not promise fixed dates; ask us whether a sample makes sense first.
Next step
Start with the mats themselves: Sambu Frame for a house mat, Indico for sweaty rooms. When you have rough numbers, write to us through the Contact page and we will take it from there.
