In Finland, a pefletti (Finnish and colloquial Finland Swedish) is a sheet of paper, cardboard, cloth, foam rubber or other soft material that is placed on the sauna bench and then sat on.
Purpose
The purpose of pefletti is to maintain good hygiene, in a public same-sex, nude sauna, by preventing genital contact with the bench. Another reason is to prevent an uncomfortable feeling because of, and to better bear, the heat, by using a seat cover.
The pefletti come in both disposable and re-usable varieties.
The word pefletti is a combination of the Finnish words "peffa", which is a mild slang word for one's behind, and "tabletti", meaning placemat.
The pefletti has a role in the very traditional yet varied sauna habits in Finland; it is one of the “do’s … of the Finnish sauna.”
The larger kind of "pefletti" made of linen or cotton fabric, that covers either the majority of the width of the sauna bench, or a single seat of the bench and backrest for one sitter is called a laudeliina. This cloth is usually washed after each use and used for sanitary and comfort purposes such as the pefletti.
See also
References
- ^ Pantzar, Katja (2018). The Finnish Way: Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu. p. 224. ISBN 9780525504825.
- Ham, Anthony; Bjarnason, Egill (2023). Lonely Planet Scandinavia. ISBN 9781837582112.
- Jokinen, Liisa (2019). Live like a Finn (e-book). pp. 42–43. ISBN 9789510441367.
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