What to Wear to Hot Yoga (and What to Bring)

Wear less, keep it fitted and make it synthetic: that rule covers what women and men should wear to a hot yoga class. Then bring the few things worth carrying, a grip towel, a big bottle of cold water and a bag for wet clothes.

A heated class runs at 95 to 105 degrees, often with the humidity turned up too. Within ten minutes you are sweating harder than in any other class you take. The regulars who look comfortable have mostly just worked out what to wear. The person slipping on a bare mat in a cotton tee and loose shorts usually hasn't yet.

In a hot room, your clothes will be soaked

In a normal class sweat evaporates and your clothes stay mostly dry. In a hot room it doesn't evaporate, it runs, and within about twenty minutes everything you are wearing is wet for the rest of class. So your clothes have to do three things.

They have to be comfortable wet: fabric that clings, gets heavy or chafes when soaked makes the whole class miserable. They have to dry fast, both during class and in your bag on the way home. And they have to stay put, because a wet waistband rolls, a wet strap slides, and a wet loose shirt drops onto your face in downward dog.

That is why the best hot yoga outfits are small, fitted and thin. How much you cover is up to you, but every extra inch of fabric is another inch that is wet and warm.

Fabrics that work at 95 to 105 degrees

Nylon and spandex is the best all-round blend. Brushed nylon, the fabric in Lululemon's Nulu and CRZ Yoga's Butterluxe, is thin and cool and stays soft when wet. Most hot yoga regulars wear it.

Polyester and spandex, like Nike Dri-FIT, wicks and dries faster than nylon. It feels a little slicker on the skin, but it is the better choice if you sweat very heavily or go straight from the studio to somewhere else. Seamless knits skip the seams that chafe when wet, which makes them a good choice for bras and shorts.

Three fabrics to leave at home:

• Cotton soaks up sweat, holds it, gets heavy and chafes once it is saturated. It will still be wet an hour after class. Our cotton vs polyester guide explains why.
• Thick gym compression traps heat. Leggings built for lifting are usually too warm for a heated room.
• Fleece-lined or brushed-interior fabric is made for winter runs and will overheat you within minutes.

What women usually wear

A fitted low- or medium-impact sports bra with shorts or thin leggings. Most hot studios don't expect a top, and many regulars practise in a bra alone.

For the bra, look for removable pads, a racerback or crossback so the straps stay put when wet, and a quick-drying fabric; polyester blends dry fastest. A longline cut covers more and stays down in inversions. Our best sports bras for yoga and Pilates guide goes through the options.

Shorts are the coolest bottoms. A high-waisted brushed-nylon biker short like the CRZ YOGA Butterluxe biker shorts comes in inseams from 2.5 to 8 inches, with a waistband that doesn't roll when wet. Buy a dark color: thin nylon in pale shades can go sheer when soaked. If you prefer leggings, wear a thin brushed-nylon 7/8 rather than full-length compression. Our best yoga pants for women guide flags which ones work in a heated room.

If you want a top, make it a thin, fitted synthetic tank. A loose one falls over your face in downward dog and sticks to your back. Skip the tee. Tie your hair up and off your neck; a thin headband that keeps sweat out of your eyes is the most useful accessory you can bring into a hot room.

What men usually wear

A lined short between 7 and 9 inches, and either no shirt, if the studio allows it, or a fitted compression top.

The liner matters. Unlined shorts ride up in inversions and show everything in wide-legged poses, and wet fabric makes that worse. A boxer-brief liner like the one in the Vuori Kore Short holds everything in place. Basketball shorts are the wrong choice on every count: no stretch, no liner, and mesh that catches on the mat.

Many hot studios let men practise shirtless, and in a 105-degree room that is the most comfortable option. If you want a shirt or the studio requires one, wear a fitted compression top like the Under Armour HeatGear short sleeve. It stays put in inversions and wicks far better than a loose tee, which will be heavy and cold on your back by halfway. Our best yoga clothes for men guide covers shorts, liners and tops in more depth.

Bring a hand towel for your face as well as the mat towel. If you sweat heavily, you will use it constantly.

What to leave at home

Cotton anything: tees, tanks, sports bras, socks. Loose, unlined shorts. Gym compression leggings. Thin fabric in pale grey or blush, which turns see-through when wet.

Take off jewelry, including your watch. Rings slip off sweaty fingers, necklaces swing into your face in forward folds, and metal heats up next to a heater. Skip heavy makeup and lotion too: both run in the heat and end up on your towel, and moisturizer on your hands or feet makes them slide.

Go barefoot. Bare feet grip a wet mat better than socks do. Some people wear silicone-dot grip socks in Bikram-style rooms, but most hot yoga is barefoot.

What to bring

A grip towel

This matters more than anything you wear. A bare rubber or PVC mat turns into a slide within fifteen minutes of a hot class, and a bath towel bunches and slides with it. A yoga towel is cut to the size of your mat, thin enough to lie flat, and has grip on the underside. The Manduka Yogitoes is the standard: silicone nubs hold it to the mat, and the top grips better as it gets wet. Mist it with a little water before class so your hands grip from the first pose. Our yoga mat bags and towels guide covers other towels.

A mat that grips when wet

If you go to hot yoga regularly, a mat built for it is worth buying. There are two kinds. The GRP Adapt Lite 2.1 is a 4mm absorbent alternative to our previous 5mm recommendation; it has not been tested here. A polyurethane-topped mat like the Liforme has very strong dry grip and holds up through moderate sweat. Compare current prices and carry weights; the Lite 2.1 is listed at 3.7 lb. If you are only trying a few classes, put a Yogitoes towel over your regular mat. Our best non-slip mats for hot yoga guide compares them.

More water than you think

Plan on 20 to 32 ounces during a 60- to 90-minute class and the same again afterward, plus 16 ounces in the hour before. Walking in already dehydrated is the most common reason people feel faint in their first hot class, and the NIH's yoga safety page singles out overheating and dehydration as the particular risks of hot yoga; it also advises avoiding hot yoga during pregnancy. Bring an insulated bottle so the water is still cold beside the heater near the end; a 32-ounce wide-mouth Hydro Flask is the size most regulars carry, and it takes ice.

If you sweat heavily or do back-to-back classes, add electrolytes to one bottle. Water alone doesn't replace the sodium you lose in a 100-degree room.

Dry clothes and a bag for the wet ones

You won't want to sit in your car in what you practised in. Bring dry clothes, a second towel and a waterproof or large zip bag for the wet gear. Leaving soaked nylon in a closed gym bag all afternoon is how hot yoga clothes end up smelling for good.

Before your first class

Eat a light meal two to three hours before and nothing heavy in the last hour. Drink water through the day, not just at the door. Arrive early enough to set up and sit in the heat for five minutes before you start moving; your body settles faster with a few minutes to adjust.

Tell the teacher it is your first hot class. They will keep an eye on you, and lying down when you feel dizzy is expected, not embarrassing.

Washing hot yoga clothes so they don't smell

Hot yoga gear is soaked every time you wear it, so it wears out and holds odor faster than anything else you own. This routine keeps it going.

Rinse it the same day. Sweat that dries into synthetic fabric is what causes permanent odor. Rinse clothes and towel in the studio shower and wring them out, or in the sink as soon as you get home. Don't leave them in the bag.

Wash within a day. Cold water, a small amount of detergent and no fabric softener. Softener coats synthetic fibers and stops them wicking. Once a month, add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse to clear built-up odor. Our how to wash workout clothes guide has the full routine.

Hang everything to dry. Dryer heat breaks down the elastic in waistbands, straps and liners faster than anything else, and nylon is especially sensitive. That includes the towel.

Wash the towel every time. It takes more sweat than anything you wear. Yogitoes towels go in the machine on cold and dry quickly on a rack.

Clean the mat after every class. Use only the cleaner recommended for the exact model; do not soak the GRP Adapt Lite 2.1 or clean it with soap. Wipe it down and let it dry fully before you roll it. Rolling a damp mat is how mold starts. Our how to clean a yoga mat guide covers each mat material.

Own two sets. Two outfits and two towels mean everything dries fully between classes, and each piece lasts longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I wear leggings to hot yoga?

Yes, if they are thin. A brushed-nylon 7/8 legging is fine in most heated rooms; avoid thick compression and anything fleece-lined. Shorts are cooler, but plenty of regulars prefer leggings for the coverage.

Do I need a yoga towel for hot yoga?

Almost always. A regular mat gets slippery within fifteen minutes and a bath towel won't stay in place, so use a mat towel with a grippy underside like the Yogitoes. An absorbent hot-yoga mat may be used without a full towel; check the exact model instructions and your grip during class.

Can men go shirtless at hot yoga?

At most hot yoga studios, yes. Some require a shirt, so check before your first class. If you wear one, make it a fitted compression top.

How much water should I bring to hot yoga?

A 32-ounce bottle for a 60- to 90-minute class. Drink 16 ounces in the hour before and another 16 to 32 afterward, and add electrolytes if you sweat heavily or take more than one class a day.

What should I wear to my first hot yoga class if I don't own any of this?

The thinnest, most fitted synthetic clothes you have, and nothing cotton. Bring your biggest water bottle and any thin towel that covers most of your mat. Buy a yoga towel after the first class if you plan to go back.

Why do my hot yoga clothes smell even after washing?

Sweat dried into the fabric before you washed it. Rinse clothes as soon as class ends, wash within a day in cold water without softener, add white vinegar to the rinse once a month, and hang them to dry.

The short version

Wear less, keep it fitted and make it synthetic. For women, that means a quick-drying bra and brushed-nylon shorts or thin leggings; for men, a lined short and either no shirt or a fitted compression top. Cotton, loose shorts and jewelry stay home.

Bring a grip towel like the Manduka Yogitoes and a 32-ounce insulated bottle of cold water, and if you plan to go regularly, a mat built for heat like the Manduka GRP Adapt Lite 2.1. Rinse clothing after class, then wash it cold without softener and hang it to dry. Clean the mat separately according to its maker: the GRP Adapt Lite 2.1 should not be soaked or cleaned with soap.