The 9 best thick yoga mats in 2024, tried and tested by yogis for maximum support

One of the best thick yoga mats is a must-have for those who like to flow with a little extra comfort around the joints. These mats tend to be padded out more, have additional grip, and have a heavier, stabilising weight that allows you to fully focus on getting zen. 

Sitting among the best yoga mats more generally, yoga instructor Jamie Kent says having a thick yoga mat is a good option for anyone looking for a little more support in their practice, whether a newbie yogi or a decades-long devotee. "Thicker mats provide extra cushioning for people with sensitive knee, ankle, and hip joints," she says. "They also support inversion poses, where the neck muscles are weight-bearing, like headstand and shoulder-stand variations."

However, finding the right thick yoga mat for you can be difficult. Most people want a non-slip mat with all the great stabilising qualities but are worried about choosing a mat that goes too far the other way. A mat that's too heavy to carry, hard to store, and difficult to roll out. 

That's why we've scoured a huge selection to bring you a tried-and-tested edit of the best thick yoga mats. Over several sessions, we've tested these mats to review their thickness, grip, design and weight, and spoken to the experts to reveal which ones are worth buying. 

The best thick yoga mats as tested by us

How we tested the best thick yoga mats

The woman&home health team and our expert testers put all the thick yoga mats in this guide to the test through multiple yoga sessions, ranging from intense cardio-based Vinyasa yoga classes to gentle stretching sessions. We also tested the mats in HIIT classes and strength training workouts, and even used one mat as a base for an indoor cycling set-up. 

The mats were initially tested last year. However, we've reviewed them again in 2024 once again and can confirm these are the very best thick yoga mats to buy.

When reviewing the mats, we considered the following criteria: 

• Thickness: Every yoga mat we tried had to be above 3mm thick as the minimum required to be a thick yoga mat. Anything above 4mm was great and all yoga mats above 5mm were prioritized as specialist mats. 
• Grip: Was the mat non-slip? We noted whether each mat offered plenty of grip and support. After all, you don't want to be sliding around while trying to get into downward dog. 
• Design: Not only did we look at the designs and colourways on offer, but we also evaluated the materials. We tested mats made from everything from natural rubber and man-made rubber to PVC.
• Weight: A weighty mat will feel luxe and durable, and it could help with stability, but for those who want a yoga mat for on-the-go, a lightweight option is best. We considered a range of weights to highlight the best ones in each category.
• Price: When testing, we also considered the price. Quality yoga mats don't have to be expensive, and sometimes it's best to opt for a budget option if you're new to the practice. Yoga should be an accessible activity for everyone, so as well as including luxury buys, we've included mats from across the market's price spectrum. 

How thick should a yoga mat be?

A yoga mat should be 3mm thick, while thicker options are usually 5mm or above. Anything thinner than this and you risk not having adequate support for your back, feet, knees, and other parts of the body that come under pressure during the practice.

When figuring out how to choose a yoga mat you like, thickness should be a consideration. For maximum thickness, opt for a mat of at least 12mm, but a mat of at least 5mm should be enough to support the major joints in the body. 

Ultimately, how thick your yoga mat should be is down to you and your practice. "There is no real ideal thickness for a yoga mat, it all depends on the person practising, style of yoga being practised and where the practice is taking place," Georgie Davies, a yoga teacher who teaches yinyasa yoga as well as gentler classes, tells us. 

"For instance, you may not need as much padding in the mat if you're practising at home on carpet compared to the wooden floor of a studio," says Georgie, who also created an online yoga platform, Yogipod. "If the class you're taking explores a lot of postures on the hands and knees or if you have any conditions that make that uncomfortable then more padding would be ideal."

It's also worth noting that the extra padding of thicker mats may feel nice for certain poses, but you're less connected to the floor. This could impact your ability to balance or land correctly during higher energy movements. 

"Thicker mats can make it harder to find balance in one-legged postures such as Vrksasana (tree pose) or stability in standing postures due to the depth of padding underneath the foot," explains Georgie. "This can be mitigated though by moving balancing postures off the mat so that the padding is there when required and also creating more stability and strength in the ankles, feet and legs."