A quasi-experimental study with non-equivalent control groups was performed to determine an effect of aromatherapy foot bath on stress and autonomic nervous activity.

To confirm the effect of aromatherapy foot bath, aromatherapy foot bath group was asked to have a bathing by dropping 0.5 cc in 18 L water after blending with a ratio of 6:3:1 with essential oil lavender, lemon, and tea tree and a foot bath group was asked for bathing only by water.

Aromatherapy foot bath group showed significant decrease in subjective stress score (t=3.465, p=0.001) and stress index (t=3.021, p=0.004) in addition to simultaneous increase in sympathetic nervous activity (t=−2.913, p=0.005). However, no significant stimulation of parasympathetic nervous system was observed (t=−1.831, p=0.072).

As aromatherapy foot bath is a possible effective intervention for stress relief, it can be applied as an effective method to relieve the stress for healthy adults and patients.