Heat application for medical or cosmetic treatment of humans and animals has been known since antiquity. The original forms of application are cloths soaked in warm water for relaxing the skin of the face after shaving, warm wraps for colds, hot mud packs for muscle cramps, or heating bottles filled with hot water for stomachaches. In a hot compress according to the invention, the heat is developed by resistance heating elements based on carbon nanotubes (CNT).