diff --git a/spanner/sessionclient.go b/spanner/sessionclient.go
index ac5a37b34cd7..042888f9c98c 100644
--- a/spanner/sessionclient.go
+++ b/spanner/sessionclient.go
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ type sessionConsumer interface {
 // will ensure that the sessions that are created are evenly distributed over
 // all available channels.
 type sessionClient struct {
+	waitWorkers          sync.WaitGroup
 	mu                   sync.Mutex
 	closed               bool
 	disableRouteToLeader bool
@@ -120,10 +121,17 @@ func newSessionClient(connPool gtransport.ConnPool, database, userAgent string,
 }
 
 func (sc *sessionClient) close() error {
-	sc.mu.Lock()
-	defer sc.mu.Unlock()
-	sc.closed = true
-	return sc.connPool.Close()
+	defer sc.waitWorkers.Wait()
+
+	var err error
+	func() {
+		sc.mu.Lock()
+		defer sc.mu.Unlock()
+
+		sc.closed = true
+		err = sc.connPool.Close()
+	}()
+	return err
 }
 
 // createSession creates one session for the database of the sessionClient. The
@@ -231,6 +239,7 @@ func (sc *sessionClient) batchCreateSessions(createSessionCount int32, distribut
 			createCountForChannel += remainder
 		}
 		if createCountForChannel > 0 {
+			sc.waitWorkers.Add(1)
 			go sc.executeBatchCreateSessions(client, createCountForChannel, sc.sessionLabels, sc.md, consumer)
 			numBeingCreated += createCountForChannel
 		}
@@ -241,11 +250,14 @@ func (sc *sessionClient) batchCreateSessions(createSessionCount int32, distribut
 // executeBatchCreateSessions executes the gRPC call for creating a batch of
 // sessions.
 func (sc *sessionClient) executeBatchCreateSessions(client *vkit.Client, createCount int32, labels map[string]string, md metadata.MD, consumer sessionConsumer) {
+	defer sc.waitWorkers.Done()
+
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), sc.batchTimeout)
 	defer cancel()
 	ctx = trace.StartSpan(ctx, "cloud.google.com/go/spanner.BatchCreateSessions")
 	defer func() { trace.EndSpan(ctx, nil) }()
 	trace.TracePrintf(ctx, nil, "Creating a batch of %d sessions", createCount)
+
 	remainingCreateCount := createCount
 	for {
 		sc.mu.Lock()
diff --git a/spanner/spannertest/inmem.go b/spanner/spannertest/inmem.go
index e73f99ca9059..e9d26d259769 100644
--- a/spanner/spannertest/inmem.go
+++ b/spanner/spannertest/inmem.go
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ func NewServer(laddr string) (*Server, error) {
 	s := &Server{
 		Addr: l.Addr().String(),
 		l:    l,
-		srv:  grpc.NewServer(),
+		srv:  grpc.NewServer(grpc.WaitForHandlers(true)),
 		s: &server{
 			logf: func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 				log.Printf("spannertest.inmem: "+format, args...)