diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py b/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
index c7b7c411b99b..46ca50d32acd 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class ServersController(wsgi.Controller):
 
         link = [l for l in robj.obj['server']['links'] if l['rel'] == 'self']
         if link:
-            robj['Location'] = utils.utf8(link[0]['href'])
+            robj['Location'] = link[0]['href']
 
         # Convenience return
         return robj
diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/wsgi.py b/nova/api/openstack/wsgi.py
index e95cb612d395..b9a9b9c74125 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/wsgi.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/wsgi.py
@@ -274,6 +274,9 @@ class ResponseObject(object):
 
         Utility method for serializing the wrapped object.  Returns a
         webob.Response object.
+
+        Header values are set to the appropriate Python type and
+        encoding demanded by PEP 3333: whatever the native str type is.
         """
 
         serializer = self.serializer
@@ -284,24 +287,24 @@ class ResponseObject(object):
         response = webob.Response(body=body)
         response.status_int = self.code
         for hdr, val in self._headers.items():
-            if not isinstance(val, six.text_type):
-                val = six.text_type(val)
             if six.PY2:
-                # In Py2.X Headers must be byte strings
+                # In Py2.X Headers must be a UTF-8 encode str.
                 response.headers[hdr] = encodeutils.safe_encode(val)
             else:
-                # In Py3.X Headers must be utf-8 strings
+                # In Py3.X Headers must be a str that was first safely
+                # encoded to UTF-8 (to catch any bad encodings) and then
+                # decoded back to a native str.
                 response.headers[hdr] = encodeutils.safe_decode(
                         encodeutils.safe_encode(val))
         # Deal with content_type
         if not isinstance(content_type, six.text_type):
             content_type = six.text_type(content_type)
         if six.PY2:
-            # In Py2.X Headers must be byte strings
+            # In Py2.X Headers must be a UTF-8 encode str.
             response.headers['Content-Type'] = encodeutils.safe_encode(
                 content_type)
         else:
-            # In Py3.X Headers must be utf-8 strings
+            # In Py3.X Headers must be a str.
             response.headers['Content-Type'] = encodeutils.safe_decode(
                     encodeutils.safe_encode(content_type))
         return response
@@ -571,10 +574,10 @@ class Resource(wsgi.Application):
                 if not isinstance(val, six.text_type):
                     val = six.text_type(val)
                 if six.PY2:
-                    # In Py2.X Headers must be byte strings
+                    # In Py2.X Headers must be UTF-8 encoded string
                     response.headers[hdr] = encodeutils.safe_encode(val)
                 else:
-                    # In Py3.X Headers must be utf-8 strings
+                    # In Py3.X Headers must be a string
                     response.headers[hdr] = encodeutils.safe_decode(
                             encodeutils.safe_encode(val))
 
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_actions.py b/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_actions.py
index 56aa5db27aa6..32615f0e20f1 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_actions.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_actions.py
@@ -301,7 +301,9 @@ class ServerActionsControllerTestV21(test.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(len(body['server']['adminPass']),
                          CONF.password_length)
 
-        self.assertEqual(robj['location'], self_href.encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(robj['location'], self_href)
+        # pep3333 requires applications produces headers which are str
+        self.assertEqual(str, type(robj['location']))
 
     def test_rebuild_instance_with_image_uuid(self):
         info = dict(image_href_in_call=None)
@@ -355,7 +357,9 @@ class ServerActionsControllerTestV21(test.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(body['server']['image']['id'], '2')
         self.assertNotIn("adminPass", body['server'])
 
-        self.assertEqual(robj['location'], self_href.encode('utf-8'))
+        self.assertEqual(robj['location'], self_href)
+        # pep3333 requires applications produces headers which are str
+        self.assertEqual(str, type(robj['location']))
 
     def test_rebuild_raises_conflict_on_invalid_state(self):
         body = {