Are towel warmers worth it? For a lot of households, yes, but not for everyone. A towel warmer earns its place if your towels stay damp between showers, your bathroom runs cold or humid, or several people share the same towels and hooks. It is harder to justify if your bathroom already dries towels well, you have no outlet in a sensible spot, or you are hoping it will heat the room. The plug-in models we carry are rated at 65 to 90 watts, so the running cost is small when you use a timer and noticeable when you leave one on around the clock.
For bar count, mounting and plug-in versus hardwired, see our towel warmer buying guide. This article covers whether one is worth buying at all.
Are towel warmers worth it? Who benefits most
A towel warmer warms a towel before you use it and helps it dry afterward. How much that matters depends on your home.
- Humid climates and small bathrooms. If towels on a plain bar still feel damp the next morning, gentle heat helps them dry between uses.
- Large or busy households. When several people shower back to back, towels get hung damp on top of damp. A rack with more bars spreads them out and keeps them warm and drying.
- Cold bathrooms. In a bathroom over a garage, in a basement or on an exterior wall, stepping out of the shower to a warm towel is a real comfort upgrade.
- People who hate damp or musty towels. If you rewash towels because they smell stale, faster drying may help. We are not claiming a towel warmer sanitizes anything; it simply speeds up drying.
Who should skip a towel warmer
- You want to heat the bathroom. At 65 to 90 watts, these units are designed to warm and dry textiles, not to heat a room.
- There is no outlet where you want it. Adding an outlet or hardwiring a unit means paying a licensed electrician, which can cost more than the warmer itself.
- Your towels already dry fine. In a dry climate with a well vented bathroom, a regular towel bar may do the job.
- You will forget to switch it off. Without a timer or a habit, a warmer left on all day costs several times more to run than one used on a schedule.
Towel warmer pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Warm towel after every shower | Costs more than a basic towel bar |
| Helps towels dry between uses | Needs a nearby outlet or an electrician |
| Low wattage (65 to 90 W on our listings) | Running cost adds up if left on 24/7 |
| Plug-in models mount without new wiring | Visible cord on plug-in models |
| Doubles as a towel bar when switched off | Not a room heater |
| ANZZI listings state a lifetime warranty | About a 20 minute warm-up, per the listings |
Towel warmer cost to run: a worked estimate
Our buying guide shows the basic formula. Here we plug in a real national rate. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A lists an average residential price of 18.16 cents per kilowatthour for August 2026 (a preliminary figure). We use $0.1816 per kWh below.
The example uses the highest wattage we carry, the 90 watt ANZZI Note 6-Bar in Matte Black.
On a schedule: 3 hours a day
- 90 watts x 3 hours / 1,000 = 0.27 kWh per day
- 0.27 kWh x 30 days = 8.1 kWh per month
- 8.1 kWh x $0.1816 = about $1.47 per month
Left on around the clock
- 90 watts x 24 hours / 1,000 = 2.16 kWh per day
- 2.16 kWh x 30 days = 64.8 kWh per month
- 64.8 kWh x $0.1816 = about $11.77 per month, or roughly $141 a year
These are estimates. Rates vary widely by state: the same EIA table lists California at 29.75 cents per kWh for August 2026, which would put the 24/7 example near $19.28 a month. Use the rate on your own bill. A timer, or switching the unit on before a shower, keeps a towel warmer cheap to own.
Towel warmer vs towel bar vs bathroom heater
| Option | What it does | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain towel bar | Holds towels, no heat | Dry climates, tight budgets | Towels may stay damp in humid rooms |
| Plug-in towel warmer | Warms and dries towels at low wattage | Damp towels, cold bathrooms, shared bathrooms | Needs a suitable outlet; not a room heater |
| Hardwired towel warmer | Same job, no visible cord | Remodels with open walls | Licensed electrician and local code required |
| Bathroom heater | Heats the air in the room | Cold bathrooms where comfort is the goal | Higher power draw; check its own safety and wiring rules |
If your real complaint is a cold room, a towel warmer alone will disappoint. Our guides to an electric fireplace in a bathroom and electric fireplace vs space heater cover room heating options.
Heated towel rack benefits at the price points we carry
Our heated towel racks run from $206.99 to $367.99. All the models below are plug-in with an on/off switch, list about a 20 minute warm-up, are described as RHINO ALLOY certified stainless steel, and state a lifetime warranty. Specs and prices are from our product pages and can change.
| Model | Bars | Mount | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANZZI Note, Matte Black | 6 | Wall | 90 W, 110 V plug-in | $206.99 |
| ANZZI Gown, Oil Rubbed Bronze | 7 | Wall | 70 W, 110 V plug-in | $223.99 |
| ANZZI Bali Series, Brushed Nickel | 10 | Wall | 80 W, 110 V plug-in | $241.99 |
| ANZZI Kiln Series, Polished Chrome | 6 | Floor (freestanding) | 65 W, 110 V plug-in, 2 to 4 hour timer | $253.99 |
| ANZZI Kiln Series, Brushed Nickel | 6 | Floor (freestanding) | 65 W, 110 V plug-in, timer (call to confirm hours) | $262.99 |
| ANZZI Gown, Polished Chrome | 7 | Wall | 70 W, 110 V plug-in | $267.89 |
| ANZZI Gown, Matte Black | 7 | Wall | 70 W, 110 V plug-in | $367.99 |
What the price buys is mostly size, mount and finish, not more heat. The 70 watt Gown runs $223.99 to $367.99 by finish; its titles say 7-bar but the descriptions list 6 bars (3-1-3), so call to confirm. For a shared bathroom, the 10-bar Bali offers the most hanging space near the bottom of the range. If you rent or cannot drill, the freestanding Kiln is the only floor model in the list, and its timer helps keep running costs down. See the full lineup on our ANZZI brand page.
Installation and safety in brief
Plug-in models mount and plug into an existing outlet; follow the manual for placement and clearances. Bathroom outlets often need GFCI protection under electrical code, so check that yours meets your local code before plugging in. A hardwired towel warmer needs a licensed electrician, and your local code and inspector have the final word. If a unit stops warming later, our towel warmer not heating guide walks through the fixes.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main towel warmer pros and cons?
The pros are warm towels, faster drying between uses and low wattage. The cons are the upfront price, the need for a suitable outlet or an electrician, and a running cost that climbs if you leave the unit on all day.
What is a towel warmer’s cost to run per month?
Using the 90 watt Note and the EIA’s August 2026 average residential rate of 18.16 cents per kWh, we estimate about $1.47 a month at 3 hours a day and about $11.77 a month if left on 24/7. Your rate and habits will change the number.
Do heated towel rack benefits include killing germs?
We do not make that claim. A heated towel rack helps towels dry faster than they might on an unheated bar. For hygiene, wash towels regularly as you normally would.
Is a towel warmer worth it over a regular towel bar?
It is if damp towels, a cold bathroom or a busy household bother you. If your towels already dry well and you would rarely switch it on, a plain bar is the better value.
Still deciding? Call us at 866-777-2590, Monday to Friday, 9AM to 6PM PST, and we can confirm specs on any model. Orders of $999 or more ship free by freight, and smaller orders ship for a flat $200. Please review our return and refund policy before you order.
