The Mat
4.1
5
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248
best mat ever
This mat is great - I never slip anymore, even when drenched in Bikram classes. Yes, it has a strong rubbery smell at first, but that goes away after a few uses so it's not a big deal. I bought the violet color and haven't had any discoloration problems. Of course it gets dark where I sweat, but that fades a couple hours after cleaning/airing it out. The woman who sold me the mat told me she just uses Clorox wipes to clean hers after class, and that works perfectly. Buy this mat!
May 17, 2012
The Mat is THE Mat
After eyeing this mat for months and quizzing friends about it I finally gave it a try. I'm tired of lugging a towel to put on my mat to avoid sliding around but had my doubts. After using this mat I cannot imagine doing yoga on anything else. It will truly change my practice. From the first downward dog and on through the rest of practice I have full confidence that I am stable and won't be sliding anywhere. No complaints that I have one less distraction.
The only downside is the new mat smell, but it seems to improve every day. Given that I have watched my light colored yoga towels turn ugly, I figured it was safest to go with black.
May 16, 2012
Great Mat!!
I've been using this mat for 9 months now and love it more every practice. From my experience even during the sweatiest of hot yoga classes, the mat never loses grip. Had a strong rubber scent initially, but faded with use and regular cleaning. Awesome job!!
May 9, 2012
Awesome mat so long as you buy it in black
I really wish I had read the reviews about this before purchasing.
I bought it in a store and even had a salesperson help me--she RAVED about the non-skid material (same as used on tennis handle grips). She did not, however, mention that I might want to consider any particular color, so I went with the dreaded lilac. As others have noted, it became stained in pretty short order. Not only does some of the sweat NOT dry out/come off when you clean it, I have noticed that some areas are actually discolored (I guess from my sweat and mascara) and look totally disgusting. After only about 2 months of use, I'm somewhat embarrassed to roll my mat out in class, but it saves me from my previous practice of mat rental (and they smelled AWFUL). I also notice that in super hot and super sweaty classes, I start to saturate the mat and then it basically becomes an ice rink--weird how it goes from nonskid to ultra slippery, and I have to lay towels down strategically to continue my practice. I will likely repurchase this in another color down the road, but first feel like I really need to get my money's worth out of this one.
Bottomline: a good, nonskid mat for moderate heat but I think it is only functional in black and the LL sales staff should be advised accordingly.
May 8, 2012
Performance over looks...right?
So, I've used the Manduka for a while now but it just wasn't cutting it for Bikram. "Features" (both positive and negative) I found to this mat:
GRIP - this mat grips like no other! Even through all the sweat (and I sweat A LOT).
COMFORT - this mat is SO comfy to practice on. Having two sides to the mat also gives you some flexibility (I usually the coloured side for Bikram and the other for Flow, for example)
STAINS - I bought this mat probably 4 days ago? And it got yellow stains the first time I used it! I was hoping it was just a one time thing but nope, more showed up the 4th time I used it. The darker sweat stains went away, but I just don't know what these yellow stains are and I'm concerned that they're going to host bacteria...
SMELL - yes it smells, but it goes away (especially if you're wiping it down and storing it right - aka unrolled). That's nothing to worry about.
Overall, get it if you want a mat that outperforms. Just be prepared for it to look like it's been through more classes than you've probably taken it through.
May 4, 2012
Beautiful awesome mat
I FINALLY upgraded my mat, and not a minute too soon! This Mat (I got the Rose Quartz) is awesome. I usually do Heated Power vinyassa classes and I sweat a lot. I was never really able to get into a good down dog until now, it has really helped my practice. It's definitely better than the Jade and Manduka (in terms of stickiness). Yes it does smell very very strong, but after a day or two I was able to bring it to my hot yoga class and nobody could smell it, and I can only smell it faintly when my nose is pressed against it. It's made of rubber, people, it's gona smell a little.
However, my pretty mat has gotten a little scuffed and I see a little bit of discoloration that makes it look a little dirty even after washing (but not the yellow people are talking about.) It's not terrible, and it does not effect the function of the mat at all.
I would doc this only 1/2 a star if I could, but since I can't I'll give it 4 only because of some of the cosmetic issues and a mat at this price point and of this quality should hold up fairly well cosmetically as well. Just work on that aspect Lulu and you will run Maduka out of business, but until then you'll stay ranked lower in the mat department. And isn't your job to move from mediocrity to greatness? :)
May 3, 2012
love/hate
Bought this mat a couple weeks ago..best mat for hot yoga as it is very sticky and I no longer slide or slip as it gets hotter. I don't even use a towel anymore.
HOWEVER , I bought the lilac colour and it is completely stained already and nothing I try will remove the stains. Wish I had read the posts before I bought it. So I suggest anyone buying this, get the darkest colour. Unfortunately, the lighter lilac side is the sticky side, I tried the darker reverse side, but found it less grippy.
May 2, 2012
Great mat!!!
I really like the feel of the mat. The grip is great! I've used it for 3 weeks now and no problems. The smell went away the first week. Easy to clean. Only drawback is I'm not able to use it for 2 classes in a row. Its too wet and grip isn't the same.
May 1, 2012
finally the mat I've been waiting for!
I have been searching for the perfect mat for a decade now. I have practiced on my Manduka black mat for 6 years but always had to use a towel during vinyasa or hot sessions because my hands would slip.
Although I brought a towel to my first class with this mat, I never needed it and still haven't needed it. Amazing! This makes a huge difference in my practice, I am so happy.
May 1, 2012
Very good mat but be warned...
I bought the Mat for the extra cushioning because my knees need it. The colour I chose was one of the few available at the store - a light lilac. I was thrilled to discover that I no longer needed my yoga towel to cover my mat in my hot yoga class because there is no slipping on this thing - even if you are all sweaty. HOWEVER, I was disappointed to see permanent stains after a few classes... So, my pretty lilac mat now has yellow blotches all over it. Looks kinda gross. I'll still keep it though because it IS very comfortable to use, but I didn't expect a mat in this price range to discolour from sweat.
April 30, 2012
