A bumlet is a sauna seat cover that keeps germs at bay from the
bum and genitals while sitting in a sauna. Bumlets are mostly used in public saunas, e.g. spas and swimming halls, where it is uncertain whether or not the seats are hygienic. There are disposable
paper-based bumlets sold in multi-packages that are used just once. Then there are hand towels which can be put into the washing
machine after usage. When using a hand
towel as your bumlet, it is important to know which side was which. For that you can use the washcloth as an indicator. An additional function of a bumlet – in the Finnish
culture where saunas stem from – is heat insulation for added comfort. In Finnish, “sauna seat cover” is officially “pefletti” which derives from “peffa” (an infrequent word for the
bum) and the “-let(ti)” suffix. A rumor says that someone has used a coffee filter as a bumlet.