Chenille velvet
Velvet Prayer Mats
Velvet gives a prayer mat a soft, plush surface: a short, dense pile that feels smooth to the touch. Ours is Pakistani chenille velvet, with a cushioned core underneath.
Our velvet prayer mat
The Rawdah Orthopedic is our velvet prayer mat, or velvet prayer rug as some call it. It costs $185, ships free and has a lifetime warranty on its edges. It comes in three colours: Royal Emerald, a deep green; Obsidian Onyx, close to black; and Saffron Rust, a warm red-brown. The velvet, core and underlay are the same in each.
What velvet feels like to pray on
Velvet is a pile fabric: its surface is a dense layer of short fibres standing upright. It feels smooth when you run your hand one way and slightly rougher the other, and it has a soft sheen where the light falls across the pile. On a prayer mat, that means a surface that is gentle wherever your palms and forehead meet it.
Chenille velvet is woven from chenille yarn, which has short fibres standing out all around a core thread; the name is French for caterpillar, after the yarn's soft, tufted look. It gives a chenille prayer mat a thick, plush feel. Ours comes from established mills in Faisalabad, Pakistan, and you can read how each of our mats is made in luxury prayer mats.
Velvet is a cover, not a cushion
However soft the velvet, a thin velvet mat laid straight on tile or concrete does little for your knees. What matters is what lies underneath. On the Rawdah, the velvet covers a 12mm dual-density memory-foam core that takes the strain of kneeling and prostration, with a micro-textured rubber underlay below so the mat stays where you put it. For more on what the foam does, see orthopedic prayer mats.
What to look for in a velvet prayer mat
- A grippy back. A plain fabric back can slide on tile, wood and laminate; a rubber underlay holds the mat still. Our guide to non-slip prayer mats explains why.
- Finished edges. Look for edges that are bound rather than left raw, so the mat holds its shape. The Rawdah's are reinforced and double-bound.
Who our velvet mat suits
Ours is a mat for home: a soft, cushioned place to return to at every prayer, even on a bare floor. If you are choosing for an older parent, see prayer mats for elderly people. It is not the mat to carry with you, though: with a 12mm core it does not fold small, and a thin silk mat is the better companion for work and travel, as our guide to travel prayer mats explains.
Looking after velvet
Velvet needs little more than a light brush in the direction of the pile and spot-cleaning by hand. A velvet mat with a foam core should never be soaked or machine-washed. Our guide to how to clean a prayer mat has the step-by-step method.
Frequently asked questions
Are velvet prayer mats comfortable?
Velvet is soft to the touch, but comfort on a hard floor depends on what is underneath. The Rawdah Orthopedic puts its chenille velvet over a memory-foam core, so it is soft on the surface and cushioned below.
Do velvet prayer mats slip?
That depends mostly on the back, not the velvet. A plain fabric back can slide on a smooth floor; the Rawdah Orthopedic's velvet sits on a rubber underlay that keeps it in place.
What is chenille velvet?
Velvet woven from chenille yarn, which has short fibres standing out all around a core thread. That gives the fabric a thick, plush feel. The Rawdah Orthopedic's cover is Pakistani chenille velvet.
What colours does your velvet prayer mat come in?
The Rawdah Orthopedic comes in Royal Emerald, Obsidian Onyx and Saffron Rust.