Kept a hot towel warmer going for two months when I first opened my chair, mostly because the old guys at the shop gave me grief about it. Turns out hot lather strips the oils off your skin and leaves it tight, which is why guys with sensitive necks get red and itchy right after. Room temp foam or even cold cream actually tightens the skin a little, which gives you a cleaner pass with the razor anyway. Marcus breaking out near his collar makes sense, heat opens pores and then the soap and bacteria sit in there. I keep a warm towel for the face wipe at the end because that feels good and doesn't cause problems, but the lather itself stays cool. Clients care about how their skin feels an hour later, not how fancy your setup looks.

Buddy of mine grabbed a $15 one at a Walmart in Phoenix for a weekend trip and it made it through two nights plus a rainy hike back. His brother bought the same one a month later and it quit on the first night, so seems like it's a coin flip. For cheap ones I'd just bring two and not trust either.