Wow... Terry Robes Not So Great In Cold Conditions!

[erickingston]

So last night was the first night in my tub while it was snowing. As luck had it, my fiance had an extra robe for me to try out, instead of trying to rapidly towel off and run inside at the same time. Both of her robes were made of simple polyester fleece, and I was leary at first, thinking that cotton would do a much better job at absorbing the water; hence, you would stay warmer. I was without question mistaken, as the fleece did an excellent job of keeping me warm when I got out. The only problem is that her extra robe is covered with a print consisting of baby blue skies and fluffy clouds highlighted with pink accents. Pink isn't really my thing, so I stopped by Target today and picked up a nice plush terry cotton robe. One in which I thought would be equal, if not better, in comparison to the blue/white/pink fleece. So, tonight when I stepped out of my tub I threw the new robe on and woooo weeee, it didn't seem to do a darn thing! I almost turned into a popsicle. I'll be heading back tomorrow to aquire a different robe - this time a fleece robe. What does everyone else prefer????

Eric

P.S. The outside temp was 15 degrees F.

[Roger]

So last night was the first night in my tub while it was snowing. As luck had it, my fiance had an extra robe for me to try out, instead of trying to rapidly towel off and run inside at the same time. Both of her robes were made of simple polyester fleece, and I was leary at first, thinking that cotton would do a much better job at absorbing the water; hence, you would stay warmer. I was without question mistaken, as the fleece did an excellent job of keeping me warm when I got out. The only problem is that her extra robe is covered with a print consisting of baby blue skies and fluffy clouds highlighted with pink accents. Pink isn't really my thing, so I stopped by Target today and picked up a nice plush terry cotton robe. One in which I thought would be equal, if not better, in comparison to the blue/white/pink fleece. So, tonight when I stepped out of my tub I threw the new robe on and woooo weeee, it didn't seem to do a darn thing! I almost turned into a popsicle. I'll be heading back tomorrow to aquire a different robe - this time a fleece robe. What does everyone else prefer????

Eric

P.S. The outside temp was 15 degrees F.

Sweat pants and a sweatshirt going out, wrap towel and bolt in to towel off.

[JohnInSJ]

P.S. The outside temp was 15 degrees F.

Well there's your problem!

Brrr! Back in the days when I lived where it got to 15, or, -10 (whimper) I would have needed a down parka to feel warm when I was dry, let alone wet.

Wonder why the terry cotton did nothing... maybe air infiltration?

[deepchillie]

Its already dang cold here, and the worst thing is getting out of a HOT tub and putting on a COLD towel or house coat. So I made a cedar vertical locker, or I guess you could call it or a very small closet. Its about 3 feet across, 2 feet deep and 5 feet tall. I wanted it heated to, so told my buddy what I wanted done. He put a small 30 watt bulb (that usually goes into an oven) in the cabinet, its hooked on to a 1 hour timer and a thermostat(just in case it gets too hot) So I go out to the tub, open the little door to the "closet" to put the towels in and that turns on the light and timer for one hour! It keeps the stuff nice and warm and I NEVER have to remember to shut the light OFF!!

[Brock]

Not sure what your soaking parameters are but here is my experience:

1. plush terry robe at 34 degrees with wet bathing suit does nothing....freeze my ass off.

2. if i dry off quickly with towel....wrap it around my waist....remove wet suit....pull on plush terry robe....then I am warm and toasty...the heat from my body after being in 101*F water for an hour quickly warms the towel and allows me to walk to back door without freezing...and once inside is TOO WARM to keep on....

I found the whole secret is drying off with a towel and removing any wet clothing before putting on robe.....I can dry, wrap towel, drop suit on patio, put on robe in about 30 seconds...with good incentive like cold air.

[medic]

Here's the scenerio here. It was 18 degrees last night with a wind chill of 3. Spent about 45 minutes in the tub, walked VERY fast butt neked to the back door through 4 inches of new snow, grabbed a hot towel out of the dryer just inside the back door and toweled off.

Sometimes...OK, all the time..It pays to live in the sticks with no close neighbors!!

[B0Darc]

The difference is between cotton and poly fleece. Good to remember if you're buying anyone a robe for the hottub for Xmas. Cotton is very absorbent and *holds* water and a significant amount of additives used in your detergent. Added to the looser weave of terry (even heavy terry cloth) these help conduct the heat away, plus it was likely the terry cloth was storing the cold (hanging outside near the hottub?) The poly/cotton fleece is very wind resistant and less absorbent, plus it doesn't get so measurably cold all on it's own hanging outdoors. Wash your cotton terry robe in "Free" detergent, and don't use dryer sheets and you will be able to feel the reduction in weight after a couple wash/dry cycles. Might not be as soft but might be more absorbent and warm... and remember FLEECE for Christmas!

Of course deepchillie gets the prise for ingenuity here!

[TinyBubbles]

Helpful hint, if you wash your robes, don't use fabric softener. Same with your towels. That way, they can absorb more water. The biggest "brrrrrrrrrr factor" I've found, is wearing bathing suits. It's much warmer getting out of the spa without one. On really cold nights I put towels and robes in the dryer and then into a cooler, along with a cherry pit pillow that has been heated in the microwave. It feels so nice to touch the warm fabric to your skin. Then we stand around the firepit with our towels open. Our second option is to make a mad dash to the basement where a thick rug and heater is waiting. We have one of those oscillating heaters that looks like a mini-satellite dish. Oh yeah, I bought a cheap pair of slippers at wal-mart that I only use for getting in and out of the tub. They dry easily by the next day.

[cplarsen]

Its already dang cold here, and the worst thing is getting out of a HOT tub and putting on a COLD towel or house coat. So I made a cedar vertical locker, or I guess you could call it or a very small closet. Its about 3 feet across, 2 feet deep and 5 feet tall. I wanted it heated to, so told my buddy what I wanted done. He put a small 30 watt bulb (that usually goes into an oven) in the cabinet, its hooked on to a 1 hour timer and a thermostat(just in case it gets too hot) So I go out to the tub, open the little door to the "closet" to put the towels in and that turns on the light and timer for one hour! It keeps the stuff nice and warm and I NEVER have to remember to shut the light OFF!!

Could you post a couple of pics of that? Would be interested in building one myself.

[Brock]

actually think my robe is thick terry fleece type material....not regular cotton feel. I will check but it is a Nautica robe.

[Allan Green]

actually think my robe is thick terry fleece type material....not regular cotton feel. I will check but it is a Nautica robe.

Tower heater cabinet sounds interesting. I am new to the spa scene, inherited one from my brother in law, as they purchased a house, and for some reason, they had no interest in it. Got it set up 2 weeks ago, just before it got cold and snowy. -10F on average. 20 ft dash to the back door seems like a quarter mile, especially with a bit of wind.

[D.P. Roberts]

One thing I noticed was that my robes are a lot colder if the robe - especially the inside - is exposed to the wind & cold. When I take my robe off, I don't hang it up - I throw it on a chair with the inside of the robe folded in. It makes a big difference.

[Brock]

same here....confirmed both our robes are 100% polyester....I guess that will upset environmentalist but it does make for a non-absorbant, warm and plush robe for chilly soaks in the tub. I also lay it across the chair by fire pit and then put drying towl over it.......quick dry with towel...drop suit on patio....sling on robe and warm and toasty in seconds.

one of those propane gas patio heaters that look nice would be my choice if the fire pit or temps became more of a problem.

[hep4186]

Thanks for the thread. Santa has a list from me with a new robe and I will update it to be a fleece robe. We've had our tub about a month and used it at night with temps in the high teens/low 20s. I bought a propane patio heater and a coat tree. I light the heater when we go out and the coat tree sits nearby. When we get out there is a circle of warmth in which to dry off and put on your warmed robe. I've found holding the inside of the robe up to the heater for about 15 seconds is an added bonus. I second the suggestion to towel off and get out of the your suit (if you wear one) before putting on the robe.

[TinyBubbles]

Hep, did you buy one of the tall propane heaters like they use on outside patios at bars? We are considering buying one and putting the coat tree under it to keep them warm while we soak. Is that what you are doing? Would love to know how it works. Brock, we took our firepit back and bought a pretty propane one, we love it. Much warmer than the wood fire and no smoke.

[billy sharpstick]

it is my duty to get out first, unroll my wife's robe, which was wrapped up in mine and preheated in the dryer before we went out. i then hold the robe for her to stand up into, then put the cover on the tub, etc. while she runs into the house.

good thing i'm immune to cold.

the dryer is not a very politically correct way to warm a freaking robe, though. i've heard a microwave works, but i think a box with a lightbulb would work the best.

bk

[hep4186]

Yes, I bought one of the tall patio heaters. It is about 8 feet high. I bought it at Costco for $286. On another thread someone implied they were cheaper at Lowes. There is a huge price spread on heaters and I looked on line and at seveal stores before choosing this one. The one I got, a Nextgrill cast aluminum unit, is very well built and has a small table on it, too. We are very pleased with it. My wife is definitley more inclinced to soak at night when it is cold if she has a warm spot to step out into. Placing the coat tree under the spa partially heats your towels and robes. I found that you can simply hold them up near the heating element for about 10-15 seconds to really warm them up. The unit also provides a little light from the burner but not so bright that it reduces privacy.

I'll try to post some pictures later this week!

[TinyBubbles]

I would really appreciate the pics hep. Thanks for your reply.

[erickingston]

Just a follow-up... I was in Walmart the other day (Shhhh, don't tell anyone! ), and I stumbled across this robe:

I just got ouy of the tub and tried it out - wow, what a difference. This one is very plush and warm (different than typical fleece), and for $20, I don't think you can find a better deal. The material reminds me of those really soft fleece blankets I seem to see at every store.

Here's the wally world link: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7696275

Eric

[Brock]

we got our polyester/fleece plush terry Nautica robes from Kohls or Costco's....cant remember but definately a huge difference with cotton.

tinybubbles,...that is cool. I almost got a propane one myself when I bought it but wanted the real pit fire since I already have a big Ducane gas grill..... So far down to 31 degrees I have been fine and not even using fire pit lately....just drying off quickly, dropping suit on patio...slipping into robe that was folded on chair....and then I add shock, turn off stereo, depress speakers into cabinet, close lid and turn off lights of spa.....then inside to fireplace or hot shower. LOL

[TinyBubbles]

Were those robes in the men's section at Wally world? I'll have to check those out. I know exactly what you mean Brock, our backyard is turning into a billboard for propane. We have one of those big 4 burner grills with the infared burner and standing over it cooking is what propelled me to switch to a gas firepit. I don't know if it was the style we had or what, but good Lord that thing smoked like crazy. We had friends over one night and stood around it making s'mores and watching football, the next day we woke up with sore throats. I even mentioned to my hubby seeing your pic. with the fire going and it didn't look smokey. We had good, old, dry, seasoned oak. I don't know what the deal was.

[hep4186]

how do I post pictures?

[erickingston]

how do I post pictures?

• Open a photobucket account at www.photobucket.com
• Upload your image, then copy the Direct Link after the upload is finished.
• Click the "Insert Image" icon when making a post, and paste the link you copied in the box that pops up.

Good luck,

Eric

[lablover]

OK, now that the cold weather is here, my hubby wants a hooded robe to keep hair from freezing up. Any leads on where to find a nice terry/fleece/velour long hooded robe for Christmas?

[Brock]

what is hair? :D