Lululemon Hot Mat Product Review

Lululemon Hot Mat Review:

Hot Mat at Lululemon shop

Sorry Lulu but this is an epic fail.  The product in its self is a great idea.  I love the colors and the thought of a mat/towel that can be used on it's own or on top of your existing mat.  It is made of a cool fabric that helps with positioning and anti-slip to a point.  The problem is that the material is glued onto a layer of rubber.  The rubber has the most terrible smell.  One of the big things about yoga is breathing and if you can't breath deep because your mat smells like toxic death then there is a problem there.

The mat is washable as it is advertised as a hot yoga mat.  Anyone who does hot yoga knows you sweat like crazy and have to wash everything ASAP or you will be disgusted by your own smells.  So I figured I would try to wash the mat a few times and give it some air out time.  The problem with this theory is that everything that is washed and dried with the mat takes on the terrible rubber smell.  Towels, clothing all end up smelling like toxic death to go long with this mat.

Another draw back with this mat is that while it gives you this great anti-slip texture to stretch on, once it goes beyond a certain level of saturation with sweat you can slip off it really easily.  Of course you don't find this out until you are in the middle of a difficult flow pose.  Several people I know have taken to using this mat for the first half of class and then trading it out at the first slip and slide experience.

So what does Lululemon have to say about their product.  A friend contacted them about the slippy aspect.  They indicated that maybe she had sprayed it with oil in cleaning the mat and should try to avoid that.  While that may have happened to disinfect her mats it has not happened with mine and I also have experienced the slip and slide effect.

I contacted the company and was told that all their mats, hot or not, all have the same rubber smell and people usually get over it.  They suggested that if I lived in a safe neighborhood I should air out the mat on a porch for a few days and see if that helps.  The problem I have noticed is that as the yoga room gets hotter the smell becomes more intense so I have little confidence in the air it out theory.  However, I did leave mine outside yesterday all day and so far I have cute little puppy prints to show for it as my dog decided it was a great place to hang out.

A student of mine suggested washing it with vinegar as that helped her with the same mat.  I will try that after I use this mat again today and see if it helps.  The company did indicate that I can take the next step to return the mat if I can not get used to the smell.  I feel sad to have to do it, however I am leaning towards it.  Frankly I expected a better product from a company that is known for higher price quality yoga gear.

So, I like the mat in theory with it's anti slip capacity, until it gets too saturated, however so far I would have to give it a fail on my ratings.  The smell is something I don't think I will be able to get over.  Frankly the company needs to take the steps to air out the product before it is sold to the customer.