That’s a bidet

Like I said, there are no French-style bidets or Japanese-style techno-johns here. Most johns have a small dedicated shower head next to them.

I suppose if the previous user's business is still on the shower head, you will get some of it on your own rear-end when you turn the water on first thing. That's why I usually "flush" the showerhead for a second directly into the bowl before directing the jet onto my rear-end.

I'm pretty sure it's more than sanitary enough. Not perfect, probably, but it's probably fine. How do I know? Because most people here - including I - don't seem to get sick more often than the rest of the world, and have a long life expectancy.

Can a bidet beat wetwipes, though?

Probably not. But wet wipes are an environmental disaster. Not to mention, if you've ever had to call a septic service in the middle of the night because all the toilets in the house are backing up, because your septic tank is chock-full of those hateful things - that are anything but biodegradable, if you didn't know - you know better than to use them.

Also, if you have to use several of them because you bum is exceptionally dirty, they too will irritate your rear-end because of friction, like TP does. Just less so.

I keep wet wipes in my bag and in my car as a last resort for when I travel somewhere where a spray-based bum cleaning option isn't available - which may be a bathtub or a shower with a detachable head in the vicinity. Otherwise I stay clear the hell away from them. But they sure beat TP any day.