diff --git a/nym-sphinx-wasm/src/lib.rs b/nym-sphinx-wasm/src/lib.rs
index 0546a5558c..9b5ca20a0e 100644
--- a/nym-sphinx-wasm/src/lib.rs
+++ b/nym-sphinx-wasm/src/lib.rs
@@ -14,15 +14,18 @@
 use crypto::identity::MixIdentityPublicKey;
 use curve25519_dalek::montgomery::MontgomeryPoint;
 use nymsphinx::addressing::nodes::NymNodeRoutingAddress;
+use nymsphinx::chunking::split_and_prepare_payloads;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use serde_json;
 use sphinx::header::delays;
 use sphinx::route::DestinationAddressBytes;
+use sphinx::route::NodeAddressBytes;
 use sphinx::route::{Destination, Node};
 use sphinx::SphinxPacket;
+use std::convert::TryFrom;
 use std::convert::TryInto;
+use std::net::SocketAddr;
 use std::time::Duration;
-
 use wasm_bindgen::prelude::*;
 
 mod utils;
@@ -36,12 +39,12 @@ const IDENTIFIER_LENGTH: usize = 16;
 static ALLOC: wee_alloc::WeeAlloc = wee_alloc::WeeAlloc::INIT;
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
-pub struct Route {
+pub struct JsonRoute {
     nodes: Vec<NodeData>,
 }
 
 #[wasm_bindgen]
-#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[derive(Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct NodeData {
     address: String,
     public_key: String,
@@ -54,36 +57,73 @@ pub struct NodeData {
 /// Message chunking is currently not implemented. If the message exceeds the
 /// capacity of a single Sphinx packet, the extra information will be discarded.
 #[wasm_bindgen]
-pub fn create_sphinx_packet(rout: String, msg: &str, destination: &str) -> Vec<u8> {
+pub fn create_sphinx_packet(raw_route: &str, msg: &str, destination: &str) -> Vec<u8> {
     utils::set_panic_hook(); // nicer js errors.
 
-    let r: Route = serde_json::from_str(&rout).unwrap();
-    let mut route: Vec<Node> = vec![];
-    for node in r.nodes.iter() {
-        let address = node.address.parse().unwrap();
-        let public_key = public_key_from_str(&node.public_key);
-        let n = NymNodeRoutingAddress(address);
-        let x = Node::new(n.try_into().unwrap(), public_key);
-        route.push(x);
-    }
+    let route = sphinx_route_from(raw_route);
 
-    let average_delay = Duration::from_secs_f64(1.0);
+    let average_delay = Duration::from_secs_f64(0.1);
     let delays = delays::generate_from_average_duration(route.len(), average_delay);
     let dest_bytes = DestinationAddressBytes::from_base58_string(destination.to_owned());
     let dest = Destination::new(dest_bytes, [4u8; IDENTIFIER_LENGTH]);
+    let message = split_and_prepare_payloads(&msg.as_bytes()).pop().unwrap();
+    let sphinx_packet = match SphinxPacket::new(message, &route, &dest, &delays).unwrap() {
+        SphinxPacket { header, payload } => SphinxPacket { header, payload },
+    };
 
-    let mut message = nymsphinx::chunking::split_and_prepare_payloads(&msg.as_bytes());
-    let sphinx_packet =
-        match SphinxPacket::new(message.pop().unwrap(), &route, &dest, &delays).unwrap() {
-            SphinxPacket { header, payload } => SphinxPacket { header, payload },
-        };
-
-    sphinx_packet.to_bytes()
+    payload(sphinx_packet, route)
 }
 
-fn public_key_from_str(s: &str) -> MontgomeryPoint {
+/// Concatenate the first mix address bytes with the Sphinx packet.
+///
+/// The Nym gateway node has no idea what is inside the Sphinx packet, or where
+/// it should send a packet it receives. So we prepend the packet with the
+/// address bytes of the first mix inside the packet, so that the gateway can
+/// forward the packet to it.
+fn payload(sphinx_packet: SphinxPacket, route: Vec<Node>) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut packet = sphinx_packet.to_bytes();
+    let mut first_mix_address = route.first().unwrap().clone().address.to_bytes().to_vec();
+    let mut bytes: Vec<u8> = vec![];
+    bytes.append(&mut first_mix_address);
+    bytes.append(&mut packet);
+    bytes
+}
+
+fn sphinx_route_from(raw_route: &str) -> Vec<Node> {
+    let json_route: JsonRoute = serde_json::from_str(raw_route).unwrap();
+
+    assert!(
+        json_route.nodes.len() > 0,
+        "Sphinx packet must route to at least one mixnode."
+    );
+
+    let mut sphinx_route: Vec<Node> = vec![];
+    for node_data in json_route.nodes.iter() {
+        let x = Node::try_from(node_data.clone()).expect("Malformed NodeData");
+        sphinx_route.push(x);
+    }
+    sphinx_route
+}
+
+// Converts a base58 &str into a public key (MontgomeryPoint)
+//
+// A TryInto would be nice here but this crate doesn't own MontgomeryPoint.
+fn public_key_from(s: &str) -> MontgomeryPoint {
     let src = MixIdentityPublicKey::from_base58_string(s.to_owned()).to_bytes();
     let mut dest: [u8; 32] = [0; 32];
     dest.copy_from_slice(&src);
     MontgomeryPoint(dest)
 }
+
+impl TryFrom<NodeData> for Node {
+    type Error = ();
+
+    fn try_from(node_data: NodeData) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        let parsed: SocketAddr = node_data.address.parse().unwrap();
+        let address: NodeAddressBytes = NymNodeRoutingAddress(parsed).try_into().unwrap();
+
+        let pub_key = public_key_from(&node_data.public_key);
+
+        Ok(Node { address, pub_key })
+    }
+}