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Seat cooling systems are becoming more common as luxury features offered by original equipment manufacturers. Despite the extensive research & application of these systems, a thermal model and comfort requirements of the occupant/seat system have not been established. Without a model or thermal criteria for comfort, the seat temperature & humidity conditions required for optimal comfort can not be defined. A synopsis of the thermal comfort conditions required to achieve an occupant's subjective comfort as well as their comfort transition points are explained. In this context a model is designed specifically from a heat and mass transfer perspective between an occupant and a seat cooling system. Focus is given to the local conduction, convection, and evaporative cooling that takes place at the body to seat surface interface.