diff --git a/message.go b/message.go
index c38abada..1057c3dd 100644
--- a/message.go
+++ b/message.go
@@ -384,30 +384,31 @@ type Arena interface {
 	Allocate(minsz Size, segs map[SegmentID]*Segment) (SegmentID, []byte, error)
 }
 
-type singleSegmentArena []byte
+// SingleSegmentArena is an Arena implementation that stores message data
+// in a continguous slice.  Allocation is performed by first allocating a
+// new slice and copying existing data. SingleSegment arena does not fail
+// unless the caller attempts to access another segment.
+type SingleSegmentArena []byte
 
-// SingleSegment returns a new arena with an expanding single-segment
-// buffer.  b can be used to populate the segment for reading or to
-// reserve memory of a specific size.  A SingleSegment arena does not
-// return errors unless you attempt to access another segment.
-func SingleSegment(b []byte) Arena {
-	ssa := new(singleSegmentArena)
-	*ssa = b
-	return ssa
+// SingleSegment constructs a SingleSegmentArena from b.  b MAY be nil.
+// Callers MAY use b to populate the segment for reading, or to reserve
+// memory of a specific size.
+func SingleSegment(b []byte) *SingleSegmentArena {
+	return (*SingleSegmentArena)(&b)
 }
 
-func (ssa *singleSegmentArena) NumSegments() int64 {
+func (ssa SingleSegmentArena) NumSegments() int64 {
 	return 1
 }
 
-func (ssa *singleSegmentArena) Data(id SegmentID) ([]byte, error) {
+func (ssa SingleSegmentArena) Data(id SegmentID) ([]byte, error) {
 	if id != 0 {
 		return nil, errorf("segment %d requested in single segment arena", id)
 	}
-	return *ssa, nil
+	return ssa, nil
 }
 
-func (ssa *singleSegmentArena) Allocate(sz Size, segs map[SegmentID]*Segment) (SegmentID, []byte, error) {
+func (ssa *SingleSegmentArena) Allocate(sz Size, segs map[SegmentID]*Segment) (SegmentID, []byte, error) {
 	data := []byte(*ssa)
 	if segs[0] != nil {
 		data = segs[0].data
@@ -428,8 +429,8 @@ func (ssa *singleSegmentArena) Allocate(sz Size, segs map[SegmentID]*Segment) (S
 	return 0, *ssa, nil
 }
 
-func (ssa *singleSegmentArena) String() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("single-segment arena [len=%d cap=%d]", len(*ssa), cap(*ssa))
+func (ssa SingleSegmentArena) String() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("single-segment arena [len=%d cap=%d]", len(ssa), cap(ssa))
 }
 
 type roSingleSegment []byte
@@ -453,15 +454,16 @@ func (ss roSingleSegment) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("read-only single-segment arena [len=%d]", len(ss))
 }
 
-type multiSegmentArena [][]byte
+// MultiSegment is an arena that stores object data across multiple []byte
+// buffers, allocating new buffers of exponentially-increasing size when
+// full. This avoids the potentially-expensive slice copying of SingleSegment.
+type MultiSegmentArena [][]byte
 
 // MultiSegment returns a new arena that allocates new segments when
-// they are full.  b can be used to populate the buffer for reading or
-// to reserve memory of a specific size.
-func MultiSegment(b [][]byte) Arena {
-	msa := new(multiSegmentArena)
-	*msa = b
-	return msa
+// they are full.  b MAY be nil.  Callers MAY use b to populate the
+// buffer for reading or to reserve memory of a specific size.
+func MultiSegment(b [][]byte) *MultiSegmentArena {
+	return (*MultiSegmentArena)(&b)
 }
 
 // demuxArena slices b into a multi-segment arena.  It assumes that
@@ -482,18 +484,18 @@ func demuxArena(hdr streamHeader, data []byte) (Arena, error) {
 	return MultiSegment(segs), nil
 }
 
-func (msa *multiSegmentArena) NumSegments() int64 {
+func (msa *MultiSegmentArena) NumSegments() int64 {
 	return int64(len(*msa))
 }
 
-func (msa *multiSegmentArena) Data(id SegmentID) ([]byte, error) {
+func (msa *MultiSegmentArena) Data(id SegmentID) ([]byte, error) {
 	if int64(id) >= int64(len(*msa)) {
 		return nil, errorf("segment %d requested (arena only has %d segments)", id, len(*msa))
 	}
 	return (*msa)[id], nil
 }
 
-func (msa *multiSegmentArena) Allocate(sz Size, segs map[SegmentID]*Segment) (SegmentID, []byte, error) {
+func (msa *MultiSegmentArena) Allocate(sz Size, segs map[SegmentID]*Segment) (SegmentID, []byte, error) {
 	var total int64
 	for i, data := range *msa {
 		id := SegmentID(i)
@@ -519,7 +521,7 @@ func (msa *multiSegmentArena) Allocate(sz Size, segs map[SegmentID]*Segment) (Se
 	return id, buf, nil
 }
 
-func (msa *multiSegmentArena) String() string {
+func (msa *MultiSegmentArena) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("multi-segment arena [%d segments]", len(*msa))
 }