Towel A towel was a type a cloth generally used for drying oneself . Sometimes a towel could also be used as a bodily covering to preserve modesty . It was also commonly used in paper form for hygiene reasons . Doctor Phlox had a roll of paper towel in his sickbay aboard . ( ) White towels hung from two exercise bike s being utilized by and Malcolm Reed in 2152 . ( ) " In 2258 in the alternate reality , a transwarp beaming to the caused to materialize inside the starship ' s water pipes . After he was finally rescued and escorted to the ship ' s bridge , he requested a towel . He later poked a wadded - up end of it in his ear . " ( ) " Five years later in the alternate reality , Captain used a blue , ribbed towel to dry his face and hand s in his bathroom aboard the " Enterprise " , shortly after he returned from an unsuccessful away mission to the planet Teenax . " ( ) In 2266 , wore a towel around his neck in the ' s gymnasium . After Charles Evans made him disappear , only the towel was left behind . ( ) Later that year , Dr . Helen Noel wiped at Captain James T . Kirk ' s forehead with a small , blue towel as he regained consciousness in his own quarters at the Tantalus Colony , shortly after having been torture d by a neural neutralizer at the colony . ( ) In 2354 , Benjamin Sisko stepped on Jennifer ' s towel on Gilgo Beach to cool off his feet after stepping through hot sand . ( ) Captain Jean - Luc Picard used a towel after his fencing matches aboard the . ( ) In 2370 , when the Trill initiate Arjin arrived early at the quarters of Lieutenant commander Jadzia Dax , he was rather surprised to find her in the company of an alien man named Trajok and wearing only a towel . ( ) In 2371 , after Neelix enjoyed a bath for the first time on - board , he requested a towel from Lieutenant Tuvok , who reluctantly handed him one . He then used it to cover himself . ( ) In 2372 , Kes provided a holographic towel to cover The Doctor ' s forehead when he was suffering a fever from the effects of a simulated Levodian flu . ( ) That same year , when Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay were stranded on New Earth , Janeway grabbed a towel after soaking in the bath tub that Chakotay had made for her when they heard the rustling of a primate . A bit later , Janeway was a bit embarrassed when the primate ran away and she realized that she was standing there wearing only the towel . ( ) In 2374 , The Doctor was giving Captain Kathryn Janeway an intense osteopathic massage when she was called away to " Voyager " s bridge . As she left , The Doctor stopped her and suggested a change of outfit , as she was wearing only a towel . ( ) In 2375 , when The Doctor ' s mobile emitter was damaged and needed repairs from Lieutenant B ' Elanna Torres , The Doctor contacted her at six o ' clock in the morning asking about its status , interrupting her in her sonic shower . Torres , irritated , threw her towel over the display to cover him up . ( ) That same year , Benjamin Sisko covered Kasidy Yates ' s forehead with a towel when she had a fever due to her pregnancy . ( ) In 2377 , Harry Kim walked into " Voyager " s sickbay holding a towel to his cheek . This aroused the curiosity of The Doctor and Kim initially excused it as an injury caused by shaving , before finally admitting that he had been bitten by a Klingon female . ( )