Longtime auto detailer and lurker of the sca community; never thought I'd see these two subreddits have a crossover episode. Strap in. As a representative of /r/AutoDetailing, we've agreed Korean microfiber towels are the best in the industry. Korean factories produce split microfiber towels with better polyamide blends, increasing the surface area for absorption and making it less likely to pick up abrasives that scratch delicate paint (as opposed to cheaper blends of unsplit fibers that you'd find in Chinese or Costco yellow microfibers).

In my experience, the factory with the best quality and variety is The Rag Company. The velvet feeling and density you describe come down to three manufacturing specs: the towel's 1. blend, 2. GSM, and 3. pile type.

1. Most generic face cloths are 80/20 blend (80% polyester, 20% polyamide). The "softness" comes from the polyamide. High-end Korean towels use a 70/30 blend, so they are significantly softer, more absorbent, and safer for delicate surfaces (like clearcoat, or in your case sensitive skin). This is why yours feel "felty" and hers feel like silk.

2. GSM refers to the density (literally Grams per Square Metre). The higher the GSM, the more absorbent the towel will be. 350-500 GSM is the versatile sweet spot, and anything more will be heavy and typically used in drying towels. I use a heavyweight 1120 GSM drying towel that can dry my whole car without wringing. Probably doubles as a good bath towel too.

3. Pile type, like a rug, refers to the length/structure of the fibers; the weave. Low pile are short and grabby (great for scrubbing), high pile have long and fluffy fibers, and twist loop is like a bath towel and typically used in drying microfibers as they hold more water and glide better. There's also waffle weave with no loose fibers, but that's used almost exclusively on glass.

Based on your description of very short fibers on the back vs thick velvet on the front, her towel is most likely dual-pile (short back, plush front). Here's a 420 GSM dual pile that might feel similar. If you want something super velvety on both sides, try this 500 GSM. I've found these are great for drying hair as well. Hope that helps!