How to fold hand towels like a spa: expert steps and video

Get that luxe, spa-ready look for your hand towels with these clever ways to fold and roll

There's no denying that folding hand towels like they do in a spa can give your bathroom or powder room much more luxe appeal.

There are so many ways to fold towels, and indeed to roll towels, so we have narrowed it down to the easiest, smartest ways to do so.

Below, we show you how, step-by-step, or you can follow our viral TikTok video.

Use simple but elegant towel storage ideas to make yours more of spa bathroom. These are our favorite methods.

1. Take a rectangular hand towel and lay it out flat.

2. Fold the two shortest ends together to create a square.

3. Fold the square in half again to create a smaller rectangle.

4. Use your fingers to mark the rectangle into thirds, lengthways.

5. Fold one third into the center.

6. Then fold then other end into the center, tucking that end into the other third.

This will give you a neat envelope finish that can sit flat on a shelf.

1. Take a rectangular hand towel and lay it out flat.

2. Fold under a sixth of one short side of the towel to create a 'collar'.

3. Now fold the long sides into the center of the towel, including the collar at one end.

4. At the opposite end of the towel to the collar, fold in one third of the towel to the center.

5. From the folded end, roll the towel towards the collar.

6. Once the towel is fully rolled, turn it around so that the long section of the collar is facing you.

7. Untuck the collar and then tuck it around the roll it neatly in place.

This neat roll will sit happily in a pyramid or row with other rolled towels.

1. Take a rectangular hand towel and lay it out flat.

2. Fold the corner nearest you across the towel to the other side; this will leave you with approximately two thirds of the towel length unfolded.

3. Fold the towel in half lengthways, starting with the unfolded edge; this will create an 'airplane' shape.

4. Flip the towel over and smooth it out, then roll the flat end towards the folded, pointy 'nose' of the airplane.

5. Tuck the nose into the roll for a neat finish.

This will give you a neat diagonal tuck finish that will sit happily in a pyramid or row with other rolled towels.

If you want to fold hand towels to look like they would in a hotel or spa, the easiest ways to do so are to use The Square, The Tight Roll or the Cross Roll. However, you can also use the file folding technique, which is a good way to fold towels, fold blankets and even to fold clothes for packing or to free up space in drawers and closets.

Folding hand towels like a spa is just one step to bringing a luxe appeal to your space; you might also want to look into washing towels in vinegar to soften any that are becoming scratchy and using xx to make them smell good. Wrapping lavender scent bags, from Amazon, into folded towels will achieve this with ease, and deter pests.

Lucy Searle has written about interiors, property and gardens since 1990, working her way around the interiors departments of women's magazines before switching to interiors-only titles in the mid-nineties. She was Associate Editor on Ideal Home, and Launch Editor of 4Homes magazine, before moving into digital in 2007, launching Channel 4's flagship website, Channel4.com/4homes. In 2018, Lucy took on the role of Global Editor in Chief for Realhomes.com, taking the site from a small magazine add-on to a global success. She was asked to repeat that success at Homes & Gardens, where she has also taken on the editorship of the magazine.

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