Lady Florida. Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I need a thick yoga mat. The thin ones I have are not for those with old knees or hard floors. Everything I've been looking at has reviews that say "it's nice and cushy but the smell is terrible!" "Still stinks after months and airing out outdoors!" Is this just the nature of the beast? If I get one with cushioning do I have to accept the off-gassing smell that won't go away? I have a knee cushion but I get tired of moving it around as I do various poses. I just want a thick mat but preferably one that if it stinks, the smell will at least go away with some airing out. Suggestions? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I have one from Lululemon, I don't remember which one but it isn't reversible. I can't even remember it smelling (and I hate strong smells) so I guess it must not have lasted that long. It is considerably thicker than your run of the mill mats and is fully intact after 4 yrs maybe, whereas most mats end up with chunks out of them, my last mat was disintegrating. I had friends that had the Manduka Pro, it is comfy too and I never noticed a smell practicing with them (while practicing with those using them many hours and borrowing one myself a few times). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I love my two yoga mats. Yes, they had a smell at the beginning, but it wore off after a while. I have a round one and put my Jade Fusion yoga mat on top of it. Jade Fusion 74" is thicker but not too soft for yoga. It has a good grip. It is a bit heavy, but that's not a problem for me, since I don't take it anywhere. As a friend of mine commented on another forum: "Mine has been going strong for over 10 years. I love this mat. I lie down on this mat and immediately feel happy." This is my Mandala round yoga mat. When I bought it, I ordered "a second". They don't seem to have seconds right now or anymore. I bought one of the seconds and after two years of use, I still cannot figure out the flaw that made it a second. Again, quoting a friend, "Layering this and the Jade mat is perfect for restorative/yin yoga. If you tend to migrate off your mat, a round mat really helps. It's nice not to roll over onto the cold floor in the winter!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I don't have a suggestion on a brand, the only "thick" one I ever had was too soft and made balance poses impossible. But have you tried layering two mats? Often what people do is put them perpendicular to each other, making a lowercase t shape. That way the center part is extra thick, and if you do any kneeling poses you do them there. Mine is the 5mm gaim one, nothing fancy. It works for me thickness wise but not for my husband, he needs more cushioning. My kids have the even cheaper 2mm or 3mm ones...whatever the very basic one is. At one point i had an even thicker one but like I said, that was too soft and didn't work out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 12 minutes ago, ktgrok said: I don't have a suggestion on a brand, the only "thick" one I ever had was too soft and made balance poses impossible. But have you tried layering two mats? Often what people do is put them perpendicular to each other, making a lowercase t shape. That way the center part is extra thick, and if you do any kneeling poses you do them there. Mine is the 5mm gaim one, nothing fancy. It works for me thickness wise but not for my husband, he needs more cushioning. My kids have the even cheaper 2mm or 3mm ones...whatever the very basic one is. At one point i had an even thicker one but like I said, that was too soft and didn't work out. There are some thick exercise mats that don't work well for yoga but I've not experienced any issue with with thicker yoga mats. The lululemon one I have is not squishy at all. Manduka has some squish but it is a good mat with nice non-stickness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 (edited) I use two yoga mats, one on top of the other, or double/triple up the yoga mat(s) for certain poses. Those poses where your weight is focused on one knee are really painful for me. That's when a thick pad is good, but it doesn't have to be large. I don't like a thick mat for many yoga exercises, but for laying or kneeling on the ground, thick pad is really nice and it doesn't have to have the grippy surface that a yoga mat tends to have. I have a camping underpad for this. 😉 RE: smell/odor; I've never noticed an odor with my yoga mats. I haven't bought one recently, though. Perhaps the brands you are exploring not actually yoga mats? I'd ditch that one and offer it up for garage/car use, and invest in a yoga mat at a local store, where you can return it if you don't like it. Edited November 25, 2020 by wintermom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I think the smell might be the natural rubber ones, which are supposed to be amazing, but can definitely have an odor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 1 hour ago, Soror said: There are some thick exercise mats that don't work well for yoga but I've not experienced any issue with with thicker yoga mats. The lululemon one I have is not squishy at all. Manduka has some squish but it is a good mat with nice non-stickness. It was definitely a yoga mat, but some cheap off brand I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelaGT Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I love my Manduka, which I use just about daily. I do double my newer one on top of my old to protect my wrists from all the chaturangas, down dogs and inversion poses. I feel confident and secure on it. https://www.manduka.com/products/manduka-pro-yoga-mat?variant=32148488290362 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Do you have puzzle mats in the house? You can put them under your mat for cushioning. My basement dance room is gym mats with a fake Marley floor over them. It’s very kind on middle aged knees 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachaheart Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I have this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WL6KK2O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_80OVFb7V7YY1K I followed the directions to air it out for a couple days before using it. I'm sensitive to smells and have never had a problem with this mat stinking. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said: Do you have puzzle mats in the house? You can put them under your mat for cushioning. My basement dance room is gym mats with a fake Marley floor over them. It’s very kind on middle aged knees Ds used to use them when he was in martial arts and would practice at home. We kept them for years after he stopped and finally got rid of them last winter in the big purge before our move. Now I'm sorry. I thought about them the other day and realized they'd have been perfect. 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 Thanks for the suggestions everyone. It's possible the reviewers were among the few who were unable to figure out a way to get rid of the off-gassing smell so I might just take a chance. And @neginI really like that round mat! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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