We do not recommend our mat for hot yoga, and this article explains why rather than talking you round. Sustained heat and a continuous film of sweat are the two conditions a closed cell rubber surface handles worst, and no amount of care changes that. If your practice is consistently hot, the honest answer is a different surface.
This is the one practice our mat is not built for, and we would rather say it here than have you find out in week three.
What heat does to grip
Two things happen at once in a hot room, and they push in the same direction.
- You sweat continuously rather than gradually. A film of liquid between skin and surface separates them, and the adhesive component of friction collapses. That is the mechanism, not an opinion: it is why tyres have tread.
- A closed cell surface keeps the sweat on top. Sealed cells are what makes it hygienic and easy to wipe. In a hot room it means the liquid has nowhere to go.
An open cell surface does the opposite: it absorbs the moisture and grips better as the session goes on. That is the whole difference, and we take it apart in open cell or closed cell.
What heat does to the material over time
Separate from grip, and worth knowing whatever mat you buy. Sustained heat accelerates the ageing of rubber: the surface dries, hardens and eventually loses texture. It is the same family of degradation as sun exposure, slower but cumulative.
A rubber mat used four times a week in a heated room ages faster than the same mat in a normal studio. Not dramatically, but measurably, and the end of a mat's life is always the same signal: the surface polishes where your hands land.
What works in a hot room
| Option | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Cork | Grips more the damper it gets. It is the opposite of almost everything else |
| An open cell surface | Absorbs instead of leaving a film on top |
| A yoga towel | The standard answer in every hot studio, and it works over any mat |
| A slightly damp towel | Counterintuitive and true: it grips better than a dry one under sweaty hands |
How the two materials behave once you sweat is in natural rubber or cork for a yoga mat.
Why we made this trade
Our mat has a closed cell surface on both sides, because it is reversible. That was a decision for a general daily practice on a hard floor: excellent dry grip, nothing soaking into the material, wiped clean in seconds.
Every surface choice trades one condition for another, and we traded hot yoga. A brand that tells you its mat is best for everything has either not made a choice or is not telling you which one it made.
If you practise hot occasionally
Different question, and here the mat is fine. A towel over the top handles an occasional heated class, and the ageing effect of a few sessions a month is not something you will notice.
The problem is not heat as such: it is heat as your main practice. If most of your sessions are in a hot room, that is what you should be buying for, and it is not this.
Common questions
Will heat damage my mat permanently?
Sustained heat ages rubber faster. A heated studio a few times a month is not a problem. Daily bikram for a year is.
Can I leave my mat in the car in summer?
No, and this is the one to avoid. A hot car combines heat with direct sunlight, which is the fastest way to crack a rubber surface.
Does the smell come back in a hot room?
The vulcanising smell does not return. Heat can bring out a residual one in the first weeks, and it still fades. More in does a natural rubber mat smell.
Is any rubber mat good for hot yoga?
Open cell rubber handles it far better than closed cell. The structure matters more than whether it is rubber.
The short version
Heat plus continuous sweat is the condition a closed cell surface handles worst, and ours is closed cell. For an occasional heated class, use a towel over the mat. If a consistently hot room is your main practice, this is not the surface for it, and we would rather say so than sell you one that will not hold.
The mechanics of all of this are in our guide to non-slip mats, and what our mat is built for in choosing a mat for your style.
