diff --git a/crates/client-api/src/routes/subscribe.rs b/crates/client-api/src/routes/subscribe.rs
index f1c7a73219..432110f2ef 100644
--- a/crates/client-api/src/routes/subscribe.rs
+++ b/crates/client-api/src/routes/subscribe.rs
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ use spacetimedb::client::{
 use spacetimedb::execution_context::WorkloadType;
 use spacetimedb::host::module_host::ClientConnectedError;
 use spacetimedb::host::NoSuchModule;
-use spacetimedb::util::asyncify;
+use spacetimedb::util::spawn_rayon;
 use spacetimedb::worker_metrics::WORKER_METRICS;
 use spacetimedb::Identity;
 use spacetimedb_client_api_messages::websocket::{self as ws_api, Compression};
@@ -527,22 +527,20 @@ async fn send_message(
     message: impl ToProtocol<Encoded = SwitchedServerMessage> + Send + 'static,
 ) -> (SerializeBuffer, Result<(), WsError>) {
     let (workload, num_rows) = metrics_metadata.unzip();
-    let start_serialize = Instant::now();
-    // Move large messages to a blocking thread,
+    // Move large messages to a rayon thread,
     // as serialization and compression can take a long time.
     // The threshold of 1024 rows is arbitrary, and may need to be refined.
-    let (msg_alloc, msg_data) = if num_rows.is_some_and(|n| n > 1024) {
-        asyncify(move || serialize(serialize_buf, message, config)).await
-    } else {
-        serialize(serialize_buf, message, config)
+    let serialize_and_compress = |serialize_buf, message, config| {
+        let start = Instant::now();
+        let (msg_alloc, msg_data) = serialize(serialize_buf, message, config);
+        (start.elapsed(), msg_alloc, msg_data)
     };
-    report_ws_sent_metrics(
-        database_identity,
-        workload,
-        num_rows,
-        start_serialize.elapsed(),
-        &msg_data,
-    );
+    let (timing, msg_alloc, msg_data) = if num_rows.is_some_and(|n| n > 1024) {
+        spawn_rayon(move || serialize_and_compress(serialize_buf, message, config)).await
+    } else {
+        serialize_and_compress(serialize_buf, message, config)
+    };
+    report_ws_sent_metrics(database_identity, workload, num_rows, timing, &msg_data);
 
     let res = async {
         ws.feed(datamsg_to_wsmsg(msg_data)).await?;