Gaiam Premium Reversible vs Retrospec Solana 1": Which One Should You Buy?

These two list one cent apart, $39.98 for the Gaiam and $39.99 for the Retrospec, and their Amazon listings make the same pitch. Gaiam calls the Premium Reversible an extra thick mat that supports knees, wrists, back and joints, recovery workouts included. Retrospec calls the Solana 1″ extra thick and says it relieves pressure on joints, hips, hands and knees.

The phrase covers two very different mats. The Reversible is 6 mm of printed PVC, patterned differently on its two faces. The Solana is 25.4 mm of NBR foam, more than four times as thick. One is a yoga mat with moderate padding and the other is an exercise pad.

In GearLab’s 2026 roundup the Reversible scored 54 out of 100 and finished 15th of the 19 mats. Comfort and support got a 6, and poor cushion made its cons list next to slipping when wet and staining clothing. GearLab’s summary treats it as an inexpensive mat you buy for the patterns, not for grip or padding. That is hard to square with a listing built around joint support.

Nobody has tested the Solana, and for kneeling you hardly need a lab. A full inch of foam beneath a knee is far softer than 6 mm of PVC, and Amazon’s summary of Solana 1″ reviews highlights the thick cushioning and knee support. For joint comfort, the Solana is the clear pick.

GearLab’s buying advice argues that density matters as much as thickness, and that a thinner mat which holds its shape supports you better than a cloud-soft one that squashes flat when you kneel.

Work density out from the published sizes and weights and the Reversible comes to roughly 15 pounds per cubic foot, the Solana about 4. It is a crude measure that fits owner reports. Amazon’s review summary for the Solana 1″ mentions owners who struggle to balance on it, while one Reversible reviewer says it has enough cushion without being so thick that they lose their balance. The Reversible is still soft PVC, not a firm studio mat, but for vinyasa or standing balances it is the better of these two.

GearLab gives the Reversible two grip ratings. Its scored Grip category says 4 out of 10, among the lowest of the 19, while its separate wet and dry table says 5 dry and 5 wet. The roundup doesn’t explain the gap. Either way, slippery when wet is on its cons list, and Amazon owners split between saying it never slips and finding it very slippery.

The Solana’s ribbed surface has no score of any kind. Closed-cell NBR doesn’t absorb sweat any better than PVC does, so expect a slide once your palms are wet. Damp hands need an absorbent polyurethane top, which is what our IUGA against the Premium Reversible comparison looks at.

The Solana is 72 inches long to the Reversible’s 68, so it gives you four more inches lying down. The weights are closer than the thickness suggests, 4 pounds against 3.3, because NBR foam is mostly air.

Both Amazon listings print lower figures: 2.2 pounds for the Solana and 2.5 for the Reversible. Retrospec’s own data says 4, and GearLab’s scale put the Reversible at 3.2. The Reversible’s listing also gives its thickness as 6 inches, a units slip for 6 mm.

Bulk is where they part. Worked out from thickness, the Solana rolls to nearly ten inches across and the Reversible to about five, so only the Gaiam fits a standard mat bag or a studio cubby.

Prints are the Reversible’s reason to exist. At last count Gaiam offered ten designs, Purple Illusion and Lunar Wave among them, with a different pattern on each side. Amazon’s review summary opens with praise for the design and says owners especially like the light blue side.

Given GearLab’s note about stained clothing, stick to dark leggings and tops for the first few sessions. The Solana comes in 13 colorways at last count, Sage and Boysenberry among them, all solid with nothing to rub off.

The Reversible’s Amazon listing says it is made without seven named phthalates, from DEHP to DnHP, while Gaiam’s own product page for it mentions only that it is latex-free. Retrospec lists phthalates, heavy metals and latex as absent from the Solana, and its Amazon title adds BPA. A latex allergy rules out neither mat.

Both arrive smelling of the factory. Gaiam calls the odor very strong but harmless and recommends two to three days unrolled before first use, and several Reversible owners mention it. Retrospec’s airing advice for the Solana is shorter, a day or two. Neither is a green choice, and GearLab gave the Reversible 5 out of 10 for materials.

Amazon’s review summaries call durability mixed on both, and both mention tearing. Knees and heels leave dents in the Solana’s foam, and over time they stop filling back in. GearLab gave the Reversible 7 for care and cleaning, its best sub-score, and liked how flat it rolls out.

The Reversible carries Gaiam’s lifetime guarantee, but Gaiam doesn’t publish its terms. We’d assume it covers manufacturing faults, and a mat that has simply flattened with use is unlikely to count. Gaiam takes returns within 30 days only when a gaiam.com order is still unopened and unused. Retrospec’s cover runs 6 months for defects, and it takes back only unused mats within 30 days.

Colors on both listings are priced individually, so look up the current Premium Reversible price at Amazon and the Solana 1″ price at Amazon for the color you like.

Two cheaper mats deserve a look first. Gaiam’s plain Premium 6mm costs $29.98 at list. It is another 68″ × 24″ PVC mat from Gaiam, and it earned 62 points and GearLab’s Best First Yoga Mat title. Our Premium 6mm vs Solana 1″ page covers it. The half-inch Solana lists at $24.99 and wobbles less, and we compare it with the Premium Reversible too.

Choose the Gaiam Premium Reversible when you want a yoga mat and like the prints. It is steadier to stand on, rolls small and comes with a lifetime guarantee. GearLab found it short on cushion and grip, though, so do not buy it for your knees.

Choose the Solana 1″ when sore knees, hips or a stiff back are why you are shopping and you spend most sessions on the floor. It is the one that actually delivers the joint support both listings promise. Skip it for flow classes.