Gaia Guy Custom Natural Cork and Natural Rubber Yoga Mat, 72" x 24" x 5mm Thick. Non-Slip, Eco-Friendly Yoga Mats!

So, here's the deal. I had a little Xmas money to spend on myself, and I'd been craving new yoga/pilates equipment for a while, so I splurged. Got both the cork mats (regular and travel) plus a set of the cork yoga blocks from Gaia Guy. And I love, love, LOVE them all.But (heck, you knew there had to be a "but," right?) there are a few things you might want to know about them before you buy them. So here goes:(Disclaimer, I'm composing this review on the "Travel Cork Yoga Mat + Natural Rubber - 72" x ..." page, but in the interest of laziness I intend to copy and paste it into the other product pages as well. So forgive me if you're reading all this for the second or even third time!)Here's the first thing you need to know: Cork is heavy. So is rubber. So you may find yourself surprised (I was) at the difference it makes to sling one of these babies over your shoulder, compared to what you're used to in a traditional mat. If you've got neck or back issues and need to cart your mat around with you all day (as opposed to home-car-gym and back again), that could be a factor. In that case, I'd opt for the Travel Mat, which is sufficiently padded, comfy, non-slip, and sturdy enough for any indoor practice, I should think. (And it, like the regular mat, is 72" in length, longer than your standard commercial mat -- the only thing that makes it "travel"-able is that the rubber padding is a bit thinner -- but by no means "thin"! -- than the backing on the regular mat).The "regular" (i.e., not Travel) mat is HEAVY. And THICK. Which makes it ideal for the beach, or gravel, or uneven grassy areas, and the like. Also, if you have a dedicated space for exercise/yoga practice, and you like to leave your mat out and on view, this is a solid, thick, good-looking piece of equipment. It could easily replace any other exercise mat you might have in your home gym.The blocks, likewise, are solid, heavy, and attractive. After a little initial uncertainty, I've decided I like their weight. They tip less easily, stay in place better under pressure, and grip the cork mat surface nicely. Plus there's the aesthetic pleasure of having your blocks match your mat. It's umami of the mind or something.A couple more things:The mats roll up amazingly easily! It's so simple to get them to roll up evenly, without the sticky-outy ends you sometimes get. I have no idea why this is. Probably related to their heft.Also, the organic cotton yoga mat sling is pretty darn cool, too. Fully, quickly, easily adjustable, so you can carry any mat using it, or (wait for it!) even use it to carry your blocks!Finally: Service. The Amazon web site offered me a free mat sling with one of my mats, but not with the other. Didn't matter to me, since I didn't plan to carry two mats at the same time, anyway. (Of course I hadn't yet realized how imperative it would soon become for me to be able to carry my blocks, too...)Gaia Guy to the rescue! I received an email asking if I'd like an additional sling at no charge. Unfortunately, I didn't actually notice the email until after my order had already shipped, and I wrote back saying thanks, but it's too late now, enjoy your holiday, yadda yadda. Oh well, c'est la vie, and all that.But Gaia Guy sent me one anyway! (Thank goodness, because now I have no idea how I'd live without them both!)Thank you, GG!

I really love my cork mat! A huge bonus is there is no plastic smell!! The thickness significantly helps cushion my knees. Only negative: it's quite heavy and doesn't work well in my yoga bag. I really wished there was a strap included or offered as an add on; I had to buy one separately.

I wanted to love this mat so much. I like it a lot, but I don't love it. I practice hot yoga regularly, and since I started, I've been using a regular Target mat with a hot yoga towel. Having to wash the towels after each class became tedious, and I started wearing through them too quickly. So I decided to invest in a mat designed to absorb and function well in a hot, sweaty environment. I did quite a bit of research before deciding on the new cork mats, and chose this particular one because of the great price, compared to other mats in its class.This mat is still, far and away, better than my old mat/hot towel combo. I don't slip, and the texture of the cork is comfortable and provides a good grip. I feel sturdy and stable on it, and the rubber on the bottom sticks well to the floor.My only complaint is that it does not absorb sweat quickly. I sweat like crazy in my yoga classes, and the absorption doesn't keep up, so I find myself sitting and laying in pools of my own sweat. Surprisingly, I still don't slip in it, but it's just kind of gross floating in a pool of my sweat for savasana.I don't know if there is a perfect magic mat out there that provides every function we could want. But, overall, I am happy with this mat, and would recommend it.

I've had this mat for a week now, and it is unbelievable. I previously owned cheap department store mats and sticky mats and have never been satisfied. They always fell apart, got slimy (sorry) or bunched up underneath me. Not so with this mat.This mat is heavy (read other reviews), but in my opinion that's an advantage. It lays flat and stays flat. The cork surface absorbs sweat and doesn't become slick. It doesn't bunch beneath your feet, even when making dynamic transitions. The cushioning is not excessive - maybe 5-6mm - not squishy but supportive.It has a rubber base and initially smelled of rubber. The smell went away after three days and was in no way overpowering or obtrusive. The rubber is what gives the mat its weight, and also doesn't have a memory I far as I can tell - it lays flat each time I roll it out.Lastly, the mat arrived before promised, with the seller contacting me making sure I was happy with the purchase. That's as close as you can get to buying from a local vendor, IMO. All packaging was made from recycled materials, which is always a plus for me.In summary, I am happy with both the product and the customer service I received from Gaia Guy. As soon as my wife tries this mat, I am sure I'll be purchasing another one.

This mat is far better than I expected. After months of trying to find a yoga mat that didn’t require me to use a yoga towel for my hot yoga classes and didn’t cause a contact dermatitis rash, I found it! This mat has more cushion than I thought it would so it’s great on the knees and it does not move during practice. I sweat and slip a lot on most mats, but not this one! No slipping even in the hottest of yoga classes! This mat feels and functions like the most popular high end mats (lu lulemon, Manduka, etc.) but this one is made with all natural materials. I love this cork mat and will never own another type.

I'm 6'1" and 235lbs and practice hot yoga 4 times a week (80 mins a class). I've used the cork mat for the past couple of weeks and it performs superbly! The customer service from Gaia Guy is appreciated also.Thanks!T. Flowers

It's partly made of natural rubber so it does smell of rubber (not strong but just mild), I hope it wears off after sometime. It's not really anti-slip -I find it to be a bit slippery compared to conventional mats, but I'm getting used to it.Despite all these factors, i still like the fact that it's eco-friendly.

Very good quality.Quite heavy, but as I'm not going to move it around, thats even better. Would really recommend it. Plus the packaging is really minimal which I liked (of course Amazon still put it in an unnecessary box, but oh well)

Piece of cork missing from the surface of the mat. Very poor quality control for a premium product - seems to be a common problem judging by other reviews.

It feels like a good quality mat. Unfortunately it came twice (after a first return) with a defect, i.e. a sizable piece of cork missing (see image). I'll try ordering it one last time though, may be 3rd time lucky.

......zu glatte Oberfläche.Habe diese Matte verschenkt und der Beschenkte, ein geübter Yoga-Praktizierender, rutschte ständig auf der Matte weg. Somit werde ich sie zurückschicken müssen.Eigentlich schade, weil Optik und die Idee, eine Matte aus ökologischen Naturmaterialien herzustellen, ist eigentlich super. Für die Idee 2 Sterne, aber leider ist die Oberfläche verbesserungswürdig.