diff --git a/include/dwarfs/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.h b/include/dwarfs/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.h
index e6eef674..a20ad9c8 100644
--- a/include/dwarfs/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.h
+++ b/include/dwarfs/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.h
@@ -24,12 +24,15 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include <cstdint>
+#include <memory>
 #include <utility>
 
 #include <dwarfs/byte_buffer.h>
 
 namespace dwarfs {
 
+class logger;
+
 namespace thrift::metadata {
 class metadata;
 }
@@ -38,8 +41,24 @@ namespace writer::internal {
 
 class metadata_freezer {
  public:
-  static std::pair<shared_byte_buffer, shared_byte_buffer>
-  freeze(thrift::metadata::metadata const& data);
+  metadata_freezer(logger& lgr);
+  ~metadata_freezer();
+
+  std::pair<shared_byte_buffer, shared_byte_buffer>
+  freeze(thrift::metadata::metadata const& data) const {
+    return impl_->freeze(data);
+  }
+
+  class impl {
+   public:
+    virtual ~impl() = default;
+
+    virtual std::pair<shared_byte_buffer, shared_byte_buffer>
+    freeze(thrift::metadata::metadata const& data) const = 0;
+  };
+
+ private:
+  std::unique_ptr<impl> impl_;
 };
 
 } // namespace writer::internal
diff --git a/src/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.cpp b/src/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.cpp
index c761672d..a1adeb3c 100644
--- a/src/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.cpp
+++ b/src/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include <thrift/lib/cpp2/frozen/FrozenUtil.h>
 #include <thrift/lib/cpp2/protocol/Serializer.h>
 
+#include <dwarfs/logger.h>
 #include <dwarfs/malloc_byte_buffer.h>
 
 #include <dwarfs/writer/internal/metadata_freezer.h>
@@ -60,11 +61,33 @@ std::pair<shared_byte_buffer, shared_byte_buffer> freeze_to_buffer(T const& x) {
   return {schema_buffer.share(), data_buffer.share()};
 }
 
+template <typename LoggerPolicy>
+class metadata_freezer_ : public metadata_freezer::impl {
+ public:
+  explicit metadata_freezer_(logger& lgr)
+      : LOG_PROXY_INIT(lgr) {}
+
+  std::pair<shared_byte_buffer, shared_byte_buffer>
+  freeze(thrift::metadata::metadata const& data) const override {
+    auto ti = LOG_TIMED_VERBOSE;
+    auto rv = freeze_to_buffer(data);
+
+    ti << "freezing metadata to " << rv.second.size() << " bytes...";
+
+    return rv;
+  }
+
+ private:
+  LOG_PROXY_DECL(LoggerPolicy);
+};
+
 } // namespace
 
-std::pair<shared_byte_buffer, shared_byte_buffer>
-metadata_freezer::freeze(thrift::metadata::metadata const& data) {
-  return freeze_to_buffer(data);
-}
+metadata_freezer::metadata_freezer(logger& lgr)
+    : impl_{
+          make_unique_logging_object<impl, metadata_freezer_, logger_policies>(
+              lgr)} {}
+
+metadata_freezer::~metadata_freezer() = default;
 
 } // namespace dwarfs::writer::internal
diff --git a/src/writer/scanner.cpp b/src/writer/scanner.cpp
index 18496c12..0a58e5ae 100644
--- a/src/writer/scanner.cpp
+++ b/src/writer/scanner.cpp
@@ -949,7 +949,7 @@ void scanner_<LoggerPolicy>::scan(
   mdb.set_total_hardlink_size(prog.hardlink_size);
   mdb.gather_global_entry_data(ge_data);
 
-  auto [schema, data] = metadata_freezer::freeze(mdb.build());
+  auto [schema, data] = metadata_freezer(LOG_GET_LOGGER).freeze(mdb.build());
 
   LOG_VERBOSE << "uncompressed metadata size: " << size_with_unit(data.size());