diff --git a/relay.go b/relay.go
index 0d78cd1..fb302b4 100644
--- a/relay.go
+++ b/relay.go
@@ -186,30 +186,33 @@ func (r *Relay) Connect(ctx context.Context) error {
 	// ping every 29 seconds
 	ticker := time.NewTicker(29 * time.Second)
 
-	// queue all messages received from the relay on this
-	messageHandler := make(chan Envelope)
+	// this ensures we don't send an event to the Events channel after closing it
+	eventsChannelCloserMutex := &sync.Mutex{}
 
-	// we'll queue all relay actions (handling received messages etc) in a single queue
-	// such that we can close channels safely without mutex spaghetti
+	// to be used when the connection is closed
+	go func() {
+		<-r.connectionContext.Done()
+		// close these things when the connection is closed
+		if r.challenges != nil {
+			close(r.challenges)
+		}
+		if r.notices != nil {
+			close(r.notices)
+		}
+		// stop the ticker
+		ticker.Stop()
+		// close all subscriptions
+		r.Subscriptions.Range(func(_ string, sub *Subscription) bool {
+			go sub.Unsub()
+			return true
+		})
+		return
+	}()
+
+	// queue all write operations here so we don't do mutex spaghetti
 	go func() {
 		for {
 			select {
-			case <-r.connectionContext.Done():
-				// close these things when the connection is closed
-				if r.challenges != nil {
-					close(r.challenges)
-				}
-				if r.notices != nil {
-					close(r.notices)
-				}
-				// stop the ticker
-				ticker.Stop()
-				// close all subscriptions
-				r.Subscriptions.Range(func(_ string, sub *Subscription) bool {
-					go sub.Unsub()
-					return true
-				})
-				return
 			case <-ticker.C:
 				err := wsutil.WriteClientMessage(r.Connection.conn, ws.OpPing, nil)
 				if err != nil {
@@ -217,23 +220,27 @@ func (r *Relay) Connect(ctx context.Context) error {
 					r.Close() // this should trigger a context cancelation
 					return
 				}
-			case envelope := <-messageHandler:
-				// this will run synchronously in this goroutine
-				r.HandleRelayMessage(envelope)
 			case writeRequest := <-r.writeQueue:
 				// all write requests will go through this to prevent races
 				if err := r.Connection.WriteMessage(writeRequest.msg); err != nil {
 					writeRequest.answer <- err
 				}
 				close(writeRequest.answer)
-			case toClose := <-r.subscriptionChannelCloseQueue:
-				// every time a subscription ends we use this queue to close its Events channel
-				close(toClose.Events)
-				toClose.Events = make(chan *Event)
 			}
 		}
 	}()
 
+	// every time a subscription ends we use this queue to close its .Events channel
+	go func() {
+		for toClose := range r.subscriptionChannelCloseQueue {
+			eventsChannelCloserMutex.Lock()
+			close(toClose.Events)
+			toClose.Events = make(chan *Event)
+			eventsChannelCloserMutex.Unlock()
+		}
+	}()
+
+	// general message reader loop
 	go func() {
 		for {
 			message, err := conn.ReadMessage(r.connectionContext)
@@ -249,74 +256,73 @@ func (r *Relay) Connect(ctx context.Context) error {
 				continue
 			}
 
-			messageHandler <- envelope
+			switch env := envelope.(type) {
+			case *NoticeEnvelope:
+				// see WithNoticeHandler
+				if r.notices != nil {
+					r.notices <- string(*env)
+				} else {
+					log.Printf("NOTICE from %s: '%s'\n", r.URL, string(*env))
+				}
+			case *AuthEnvelope:
+				if env.Challenge == nil {
+					return
+				}
+				// see WithAuthHandler
+				if r.challenges != nil {
+					r.challenges <- *env.Challenge
+				}
+			case *EventEnvelope:
+				if env.SubscriptionID == nil {
+					return
+				}
+				if subscription, ok := r.Subscriptions.Load(*env.SubscriptionID); !ok {
+					// InfoLogger.Printf("{%s} no subscription with id '%s'\n", r.URL, *env.SubscriptionID)
+					return
+				} else {
+					// check if the event matches the desired filter, ignore otherwise
+					if !subscription.Filters.Match(&env.Event) {
+						InfoLogger.Printf("{%s} filter does not match: %v ~ %v\n", r.URL, subscription.Filters, env.Event)
+						return
+					}
+
+					// check signature, ignore invalid, except from trusted (AssumeValid) relays
+					if !r.AssumeValid {
+						if ok, err := env.Event.CheckSignature(); !ok {
+							errmsg := ""
+							if err != nil {
+								errmsg = err.Error()
+							}
+							InfoLogger.Printf("{%s} bad signature: %s\n", r.URL, errmsg)
+							return
+						}
+					}
+
+					go func() {
+						eventsChannelCloserMutex.Lock()
+						if subscription.live {
+							subscription.Events <- &env.Event
+						}
+						eventsChannelCloserMutex.Unlock()
+					}()
+				}
+			case *EOSEEnvelope:
+				if subscription, ok := r.Subscriptions.Load(string(*env)); ok {
+					subscription.emitEose.Do(func() {
+						close(subscription.EndOfStoredEvents)
+					})
+				}
+			case *OKEnvelope:
+				if okCallback, exist := r.okCallbacks.Load(env.EventID); exist {
+					okCallback(env.OK, *env.Reason)
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}()
 
 	return nil
 }
 
-// HandleRelayMessage handles a message received from a relay.
-func (r *Relay) HandleRelayMessage(envelope Envelope) {
-	switch env := envelope.(type) {
-	case *NoticeEnvelope:
-		// see WithNoticeHandler
-		if r.notices != nil {
-			r.notices <- string(*env)
-		} else {
-			log.Printf("NOTICE from %s: '%s'\n", r.URL, string(*env))
-		}
-	case *AuthEnvelope:
-		if env.Challenge == nil {
-			return
-		}
-		// see WithAuthHandler
-		if r.challenges != nil {
-			r.challenges <- *env.Challenge
-		}
-	case *EventEnvelope:
-		if env.SubscriptionID == nil {
-			return
-		}
-		if subscription, ok := r.Subscriptions.Load(*env.SubscriptionID); !ok {
-			// InfoLogger.Printf("{%s} no subscription with id '%s'\n", r.URL, *env.SubscriptionID)
-			return
-		} else {
-			// check if the event matches the desired filter, ignore otherwise
-			if !subscription.Filters.Match(&env.Event) {
-				InfoLogger.Printf("{%s} filter does not match: %v ~ %v\n", r.URL, subscription.Filters, env.Event)
-				return
-			}
-
-			// check signature, ignore invalid, except from trusted (AssumeValid) relays
-			if !r.AssumeValid {
-				if ok, err := env.Event.CheckSignature(); !ok {
-					errmsg := ""
-					if err != nil {
-						errmsg = err.Error()
-					}
-					InfoLogger.Printf("{%s} bad signature: %s\n", r.URL, errmsg)
-					return
-				}
-			}
-
-			if subscription.live {
-				subscription.Events <- &env.Event
-			}
-		}
-	case *EOSEEnvelope:
-		if subscription, ok := r.Subscriptions.Load(string(*env)); ok {
-			subscription.emitEose.Do(func() {
-				close(subscription.EndOfStoredEvents)
-			})
-		}
-	case *OKEnvelope:
-		if okCallback, exist := r.okCallbacks.Load(env.EventID); exist {
-			okCallback(env.OK, *env.Reason)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 // Write queues a message to be sent to the relay.
 func (r *Relay) Write(msg []byte) <-chan error {
 	ch := make(chan error)
diff --git a/subscription.go b/subscription.go
index b7fbbf2..0726bdd 100644
--- a/subscription.go
+++ b/subscription.go
@@ -57,20 +57,25 @@ func (sub *Subscription) GetID() string {
 // Unsub closes the subscription, sending "CLOSE" to relay as in NIP-01.
 // Unsub() also closes the channel sub.Events and makes a new one.
 func (sub *Subscription) Unsub() {
-	id := sub.GetID()
+	go sub.Close()
 
+	sub.live = false
+	id := sub.GetID()
+	sub.Relay.Subscriptions.Delete(id)
+
+	// do this so we don't have the possibility of closing the Events channel and then trying to send to it
+	sub.Relay.subscriptionChannelCloseQueue <- sub
+}
+
+// Close just sends a CLOSE message. You probably want Unsub() instead.
+func (sub *Subscription) Close() {
 	if sub.Relay.IsConnected() {
+		id := sub.GetID()
 		closeMsg := CloseEnvelope(id)
 		closeb, _ := (&closeMsg).MarshalJSON()
 		debugLog("{%s} sending %v", sub.Relay.URL, closeb)
 		sub.Relay.Write(closeb)
 	}
-
-	sub.live = false
-	sub.Relay.Subscriptions.Delete(id)
-
-	// do this so we don't have the possibility of closing the Events channel and then trying to send to it
-	sub.Relay.subscriptionChannelCloseQueue <- sub
 }
 
 // Sub sets sub.Filters and then calls sub.Fire(ctx).