waywardsis, these are towels made from plastic-like product which can be found in many Japanese super-markets or drug stores. In the US they can be purchased in a well-stocked Asian or Japanese supermarkets, such as the Uwajimaya here in Seattle. I bought mine at the ID Uwajimaya. I don't know exactly what they're called in Japanese or what brand it was, but I can definately find out next time I shop there. Since you're in Toronto you have an excellent chance of finding a place which sells these towels; probably the best place in Canada outside of Vancouver.

I found these cotton versions on eBay ; although they're probably higher quality, you really don't need the cotton versions to achieve the effects (these are used in public baths and hot springs in Japan for both scrubbing and drying, something we don't need to worry about). I found something very similar to what I have here , and there's a cheaper version of the Scrubbing Towels via google (Koreans also take daily baths in similar ways). I think the first one is a good one to get to try it out; the second one is looks too cheap to me.

There are actual several version of the product I've purchased, from smooth ones to really rough ones which gives you a great scrubbing. The closest product you can find in the Western stores are the sponge based "exfoliators", but they really don't do as good of a job as these simple towels. Plus they are much easier to clean. Although you need time to get used to it, right now I can't feel clean without using it in a shower. You can also feel the blood rushing to your skin after rinsing, which is the feeling the Japanese wanted before they enter their daily hot baths.

I'll keep you posted as I find out more about them. Good luck!