diff --git a/src/core/lib/gpr/arena.cc b/src/core/lib/gpr/arena.cc
index 141de69426c..e30b297aeab 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/gpr/arena.cc
+++ b/src/core/lib/gpr/arena.cc
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <grpc/support/alloc.h>
 #include <grpc/support/atm.h>
 #include <grpc/support/log.h>
+#include <grpc/support/sync.h>
 
 #include "src/core/lib/gpr/alloc.h"
 
@@ -36,8 +37,6 @@
 
 #ifdef SIMPLE_ARENA_FOR_DEBUGGING
 
-#include <grpc/support/sync.h>
-
 struct gpr_arena {
   gpr_mu mu;
   void** ptrs;
@@ -78,14 +77,17 @@ void* gpr_arena_alloc(gpr_arena* arena, size_t size) {
 // would allow us to use the alignment actually needed by the caller.
 
 typedef struct zone {
-  size_t size_begin;
-  size_t size_end;
-  gpr_atm next_atm;
+  size_t size_begin;  // All the space we have set aside for allocations up
+                      // until this zone.
+  size_t size_end;  // size_end = size_begin plus all the space we set aside for
+                    // allocations in zone z itself.
+  zone* next;
 } zone;
 
 struct gpr_arena {
   gpr_atm size_so_far;
   zone initial_zone;
+  gpr_mu arena_growth_mutex;
 };
 
 static void* zalloc_aligned(size_t size) {
@@ -99,15 +101,17 @@ gpr_arena* gpr_arena_create(size_t initial_size) {
   gpr_arena* a = static_cast<gpr_arena*>(zalloc_aligned(
       GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(sizeof(gpr_arena)) + initial_size));
   a->initial_zone.size_end = initial_size;
+  gpr_mu_init(&a->arena_growth_mutex);
   return a;
 }
 
 size_t gpr_arena_destroy(gpr_arena* arena) {
+  gpr_mu_destroy(&arena->arena_growth_mutex);
   gpr_atm size = gpr_atm_no_barrier_load(&arena->size_so_far);
-  zone* z = (zone*)gpr_atm_no_barrier_load(&arena->initial_zone.next_atm);
+  zone* z = arena->initial_zone.next;
   gpr_free_aligned(arena);
   while (z) {
-    zone* next_z = (zone*)gpr_atm_no_barrier_load(&z->next_atm);
+    zone* next_z = z->next;
     gpr_free_aligned(z);
     z = next_z;
   }
@@ -116,37 +120,55 @@ size_t gpr_arena_destroy(gpr_arena* arena) {
 
 void* gpr_arena_alloc(gpr_arena* arena, size_t size) {
   size = GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(size);
-  size_t start = static_cast<size_t>(
+  size_t previous_size_of_arena_allocations = static_cast<size_t>(
       gpr_atm_no_barrier_fetch_add(&arena->size_so_far, size));
+  size_t updated_size_of_arena_allocations =
+      previous_size_of_arena_allocations + size;
   zone* z = &arena->initial_zone;
-  while (start > z->size_end) {
-    zone* next_z = (zone*)gpr_atm_acq_load(&z->next_atm);
-    if (next_z == nullptr) {
-      size_t next_z_size =
-          static_cast<size_t>(gpr_atm_no_barrier_load(&arena->size_so_far));
-      next_z = static_cast<zone*>(zalloc_aligned(
-          GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(sizeof(zone)) + next_z_size));
-      next_z->size_begin = z->size_end;
-      next_z->size_end = z->size_end + next_z_size;
-      if (!gpr_atm_rel_cas(&z->next_atm, static_cast<gpr_atm>(NULL),
-                           (gpr_atm)next_z)) {
-        gpr_free_aligned(next_z);
-        next_z = (zone*)gpr_atm_acq_load(&z->next_atm);
+  // Check to see if the allocation isn't able to end in the initial zone.
+  // This statement is true only in the uncommon case because of our arena
+  // sizing historesis (that is, most calls should have a large enough initial
+  // zone and will not need to grow the arena).
+  if (updated_size_of_arena_allocations > z->size_end) {
+    // Find a zone to fit this allocation
+    gpr_mu_lock(&arena->arena_growth_mutex);
+    while (updated_size_of_arena_allocations > z->size_end) {
+      if (z->next == nullptr) {
+        // Note that we do an extra increment of size_so_far to prevent multiple
+        // simultaneous callers from stepping on each other. However, this extra
+        // increment means some space in the arena is wasted.
+        // So whenever we need to allocate x bytes and there are x - n (where
+        // n > 0) remaining in the current zone, we will waste x bytes (x - n
+        // in the current zone and n in the new zone).
+        previous_size_of_arena_allocations = static_cast<size_t>(
+            gpr_atm_no_barrier_fetch_add(&arena->size_so_far, size));
+        updated_size_of_arena_allocations =
+            previous_size_of_arena_allocations + size;
+        size_t next_z_size = updated_size_of_arena_allocations;
+        z->next = static_cast<zone*>(zalloc_aligned(
+            GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(sizeof(zone)) + next_z_size));
+        z->next->size_begin = z->size_end;
+        z->next->size_end = z->size_end + next_z_size;
       }
+      z = z->next;
     }
-    z = next_z;
-  }
-  if (start + size > z->size_end) {
-    return gpr_arena_alloc(arena, size);
+    gpr_mu_unlock(&arena->arena_growth_mutex);
   }
-  GPR_ASSERT(start >= z->size_begin);
-  GPR_ASSERT(start + size <= z->size_end);
-  char* ptr = (z == &arena->initial_zone)
-                  ? reinterpret_cast<char*>(arena) +
-                        GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(sizeof(gpr_arena))
-                  : reinterpret_cast<char*>(z) +
-                        GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(sizeof(zone));
-  return ptr + start - z->size_begin;
+  GPR_ASSERT(previous_size_of_arena_allocations >= z->size_begin);
+  GPR_ASSERT(updated_size_of_arena_allocations <= z->size_end);
+  // Skip the first part of the zone, which just contains tracking information.
+  // For the initial zone, this is the gpr_arena struct and for any other zone,
+  // it's the zone struct.
+  char* start_of_allocation_space =
+      (z == &arena->initial_zone)
+          ? reinterpret_cast<char*>(arena) +
+                GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(sizeof(gpr_arena))
+          : reinterpret_cast<char*>(z) +
+                GPR_ROUND_UP_TO_ALIGNMENT_SIZE(sizeof(zone));
+  // previous_size_of_arena_allocations - size_begin is how many bytes have been
+  // allocated into the current zone
+  return start_of_allocation_space + previous_size_of_arena_allocations -
+         z->size_begin;
 }
 
 #endif  // SIMPLE_ARENA_FOR_DEBUGGING