diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 5919aa2f..8d456375 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -51,3 +51,7 @@ path = "examples/tlsclient.rs"
 [[example]]
 name = "tlsserver"
 path = "examples/tlsserver.rs"
+
+[[example]]
+name = "simpleclient"
+path = "examples/simpleclient.rs"
diff --git a/examples/simpleclient.rs b/examples/simpleclient.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4068603a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/simpleclient.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use std::net::TcpStream;
+use std::io::{Read, Write, stdout};
+
+extern crate rustls;
+extern crate webpki_roots;
+
+use rustls::Session;
+
+fn main() {
+    let mut config = rustls::ClientConfig::new();
+    config.root_store.add_trust_anchors(&webpki_roots::ROOTS);
+
+    let mut tls = rustls::ClientSession::new(&Arc::new(config), "google.com");
+    tls.write(concat!("GET / HTTP/1.1\r\n",
+                      "Host: google.com\r\n",
+                      "Connection: close\r\n",
+                      "Accept-Encoding: identity\r\n",
+                      "\r\n")
+              .as_bytes())
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let mut sock = TcpStream::connect("google.com:443").unwrap();
+    loop {
+        let (rl, wl) = tls.complete_io(&mut sock).unwrap();
+        if rl == 0 && wl == 0 {
+            println!("EOF");
+            break;
+        }
+
+        let mut plaintext = Vec::new();
+        tls.read_to_end(&mut plaintext).unwrap();
+        stdout().write_all(&plaintext).unwrap();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/session.rs b/src/session.rs
index 1089ed24..7a057077 100644
--- a/src/session.rs
+++ b/src/session.rs
@@ -96,6 +96,57 @@ pub trait Session: Read + Write + Send {
     ///
     /// This returns None until the version is agreed.
     fn get_protocol_version(&self) -> Option<ProtocolVersion>;
+
+    /// This function uses `io` to complete any outstanding IO for
+    /// this session.
+    ///
+    /// This is a convenience function which solely uses other parts
+    /// of the public API.
+    ///
+    /// What this means depends on the session state:
+    ///
+    /// - If the session `is_handshaking()`, then IO is performed until
+    ///   the handshake is complete.
+    /// - Otherwise, if `wants_write` is true, `write_tls` is invoked
+    ///   until it is all written.
+    /// - Otherwise, if `wants_read` is true, `read_tls` is invoked
+    ///   once.
+    ///
+    /// The return value is the number of bytes read from and written
+    /// to `io`, respectively.
+    ///
+    /// This function will block if `io` blocks.
+    ///
+    /// Errors from TLS record handling (ie, from `process_new_packets()`)
+    /// are wrapped in an `io::ErrorKind::InvalidData`-kind error.
+    fn complete_io<T>(&mut self, io: &mut T) -> Result<(usize, usize), io::Error>
+        where Self: Sized, T: Read + Write
+    {
+        let until_handshaked = self.is_handshaking();
+        let mut wrlen = 0;
+        let mut rdlen = 0;
+
+        loop {
+            while self.wants_write() {
+                wrlen += self.write_tls(io)?;
+            }
+
+            if !until_handshaked && wrlen > 0 {
+                return Ok((rdlen, wrlen));
+            }
+
+            rdlen += self.read_tls(io)?;
+
+            self.process_new_packets()
+                .map_err(|e| io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::InvalidData, e))?;
+
+            match (until_handshaked, self.is_handshaking()) {
+                (true, false) => return Ok((rdlen, wrlen)),
+                (false, _) => return Ok((rdlen, wrlen)),
+                (_, _) => {}
+            };
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
diff --git a/tests/api.rs b/tests/api.rs
index 541f8ebe..a238a8b8 100644
--- a/tests/api.rs
+++ b/tests/api.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::sync::atomic;
 use std::fs;
-use std::io::{self, Write};
+use std::io::{self, Write, Read};
 
 extern crate rustls;
 use rustls::{ClientConfig, ClientSession, ResolvesClientCert};
@@ -558,3 +558,127 @@ fn client_respects_buffer_limit_post_handshake() {
 
     check_read(&mut server, b"01234567890123456789012345");
 }
+
+struct OtherSession<'a> {
+    sess: &'a mut Session,
+    pub reads: usize,
+    pub writes: usize,
+}
+
+impl<'a> OtherSession<'a> {
+    fn new(sess: &'a mut Session) -> OtherSession<'a> {
+        OtherSession { sess, reads: 0, writes: 0 }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a> io::Read for OtherSession<'a> {
+    fn read(&mut self, mut b: &mut [u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
+        self.reads += 1;
+        self.sess.write_tls(b.by_ref())
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a> io::Write for OtherSession<'a> {
+    fn write(&mut self, mut b: &[u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
+        self.writes += 1;
+        let l = self.sess.read_tls(b.by_ref())?;
+        self.sess.process_new_packets().unwrap();
+        Ok(l)
+    }
+
+    fn flush(&mut self) -> io::Result<()> {
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn client_complete_io_for_handshake() {
+    let mut client = ClientSession::new(&Arc::new(make_client_config()), "localhost");
+    let mut server = ServerSession::new(&Arc::new(make_server_config()));
+
+    assert_eq!(true, client.is_handshaking());
+    let (rdlen, wrlen) = client.complete_io(&mut OtherSession::new(&mut server)).unwrap();
+    assert!(rdlen > 0 && wrlen > 0);
+    assert_eq!(false, client.is_handshaking());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn client_complete_io_for_write() {
+    let mut client = ClientSession::new(&Arc::new(make_client_config()), "localhost");
+    let mut server = ServerSession::new(&Arc::new(make_server_config()));
+
+    do_handshake(&mut client, &mut server);
+
+    client.write(b"01234567890123456789").unwrap();
+    client.write(b"01234567890123456789").unwrap();
+    {
+        let mut pipe = OtherSession::new(&mut server);
+        let (rdlen, wrlen) = client.complete_io(&mut pipe).unwrap();
+        assert!(rdlen == 0 && wrlen > 0);
+        assert_eq!(pipe.writes, 2);
+    }
+    check_read(&mut server, b"0123456789012345678901234567890123456789");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn client_complete_io_for_read() {
+    let mut client = ClientSession::new(&Arc::new(make_client_config()), "localhost");
+    let mut server = ServerSession::new(&Arc::new(make_server_config()));
+
+    do_handshake(&mut client, &mut server);
+
+    server.write(b"01234567890123456789").unwrap();
+    {
+        let mut pipe = OtherSession::new(&mut server);
+        let (rdlen, wrlen) = client.complete_io(&mut pipe).unwrap();
+        assert!(rdlen > 0 && wrlen == 0);
+        assert_eq!(pipe.reads, 1);
+    }
+    check_read(&mut client, b"01234567890123456789");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn server_complete_io_for_handshake() {
+    let mut client = ClientSession::new(&Arc::new(make_client_config()), "localhost");
+    let mut server = ServerSession::new(&Arc::new(make_server_config()));
+
+    assert_eq!(true, server.is_handshaking());
+    let (rdlen, wrlen) = server.complete_io(&mut OtherSession::new(&mut client)).unwrap();
+    assert!(rdlen > 0 && wrlen > 0);
+    assert_eq!(false, server.is_handshaking());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn server_complete_io_for_write() {
+    let mut client = ClientSession::new(&Arc::new(make_client_config()), "localhost");
+    let mut server = ServerSession::new(&Arc::new(make_server_config()));
+
+    do_handshake(&mut client, &mut server);
+
+    server.write(b"01234567890123456789").unwrap();
+    server.write(b"01234567890123456789").unwrap();
+    {
+        let mut pipe = OtherSession::new(&mut client);
+        let (rdlen, wrlen) = server.complete_io(&mut pipe).unwrap();
+        assert!(rdlen == 0 && wrlen > 0);
+        assert_eq!(pipe.writes, 2);
+    }
+    check_read(&mut client, b"0123456789012345678901234567890123456789");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn server_complete_io_for_read() {
+    let mut client = ClientSession::new(&Arc::new(make_client_config()), "localhost");
+    let mut server = ServerSession::new(&Arc::new(make_server_config()));
+
+    do_handshake(&mut client, &mut server);
+
+    client.write(b"01234567890123456789").unwrap();
+    {
+        let mut pipe = OtherSession::new(&mut client);
+        let (rdlen, wrlen) = server.complete_io(&mut pipe).unwrap();
+        assert!(rdlen > 0 && wrlen == 0);
+        assert_eq!(pipe.reads, 1);
+    }
+    check_read(&mut server, b"01234567890123456789");
+}