diff --git a/doc/source/contributor/testing.rst b/doc/source/contributor/testing.rst
index 25f0d8211..b8d5badb8 100644
--- a/doc/source/contributor/testing.rst
+++ b/doc/source/contributor/testing.rst
@@ -115,11 +115,36 @@ example in devstack. See `gabbi-run`_ to get started. If you don't want to
 go to the trouble of using devstack, but do want a live server see
 :doc:`quick-dev`.
 
+Profiling
+---------
+
+If you wish to profile requests to the placement service, to get an idea of
+which methods are consuming the most CPU or are being used repeatedly, it is
+possible to enable a ProfilerMiddleware_ to output per-request python profiling
+dumps. The environment (:doc:`quick-dev` is a good place to start) in which
+the service is running will need to have Werkzeug_ added.
+
+* If the service is already running, stop it.
+* Install Werkzeug.
+* Set an environment variable, ``OS_WSGI_PROFILER``, to a directory where
+  profile results will be written.
+* Make sure the directory exists.
+* Start the service, ensuring the environment variable is passed to it.
+* Make an HTTP request that exercises the code you wish to profile.
+
+The profiling results will be in the directory named by ``OS_WSGI_PROFILER``.
+There are many ways to analyze the files. See `Profiling WSGI Apps`_ for an
+example.
+
+
 .. _bug: https://github.com/cdent/gabbi/issues
 .. _fixtures: http://gabbi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/fixtures.html
 .. _gabbi: https://gabbi.readthedocs.io/
 .. _gabbi-run: http://gabbi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/runner.html
 .. _JSONPath: http://goessner.net/articles/JsonPath/
+.. _ProfilerMiddleware: https://werkzeug.palletsprojects.com/en/master/middleware/profiler/
+.. _Profiling WSGI Apps: https://anticdent.org/profiling-wsgi-apps.html
 .. _syntax: https://gabbi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/format.html
 .. _telemetry: http://specs.openstack.org/openstack/telemetry-specs/specs/kilo/declarative-http-tests.html
+.. _Werkzeug: https://palletsprojects.com/p/werkzeug/
 .. _wsgi-intercept: http://wsgi-intercept.readthedocs.io/
diff --git a/placement/deploy.py b/placement/deploy.py
index a9f3f012b..7706f6c5e 100644
--- a/placement/deploy.py
+++ b/placement/deploy.py
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 #    under the License.
 """Deployment handling for Placmenent API."""
 
+import os
+
 from microversion_parse import middleware as mp_middleware
 import oslo_middleware
 from oslo_middleware import cors
@@ -29,6 +31,14 @@ from placement import resource_class_cache as rc_cache
 from placement import util
 
 
+PROFILER_OUTPUT = os.environ.get('OS_WSGI_PROFILER')
+if PROFILER_OUTPUT:
+    # If werkzeug is not available this raises ImportError and the
+    # process will not continue. This is intentional: we do not want
+    # to make a permanent dependency on werkzeug.
+    from werkzeug.contrib import profiler
+
+
 def deploy(conf):
     """Assemble the middleware pipeline leading to the placement app."""
     if conf.api.auth_strategy == 'noauth2':
@@ -57,6 +67,13 @@ def deploy(conf):
     request_log = requestlog.RequestLog
 
     application = handler.PlacementHandler(config=conf)
+
+    # If PROFILER_OUTPUT is set, generate per request profile reports
+    # to the directory named therein.
+    if PROFILER_OUTPUT:
+        application = profiler.ProfilerMiddleware(
+            application, profile_dir=PROFILER_OUTPUT)
+
     # configure microversion middleware in the old school way
     application = microversion_middleware(
         application, microversion.SERVICE_TYPE, microversion.VERSIONS,