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Pefletti

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linen pefletti.

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.[1]

Purpose

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The purpose of pefletti is to maintain good hygiene, in a public same-sex, nude sauna,[1] 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.[2]

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.”[3]

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

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References

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  1. ^ a b Pantzar, Katja (2018). The Finnish Way: Finding Courage, Wellness, and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu. p. 224. ISBN 9780525504825.
  2. ^ Ham, Anthony; Bjarnason, Egill (2023). Lonely Planet Scandinavia. ISBN 9781837582112.
  3. ^ Jokinen, Liisa (2019). Live like a Finn (e-book). pp. 42–43. ISBN 9789510441367.