diff --git a/jupyter_client/session.py b/jupyter_client/session.py
index c387cd06..9f3b2fad 100644
--- a/jupyter_client/session.py
+++ b/jupyter_client/session.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
     Set,
     TraitError,
     Unicode,
+    default,
     observe,
 )
 from traitlets.config.configurable import Configurable, LoggingConfigurable
@@ -420,6 +421,36 @@ def _session_changed(self, change: t.Any) -> None:
         "message.",
     )
 
+    extract_header_dates = Bool(
+        True,
+        config=True,
+        help="""
+        Parse timestamps in message headers to datetime objects.
+
+        If True, `date` and other timestamp fields
+        will be `datetime.datetime` objects.
+        If False, they will be ISO8601 strings.
+
+        Parsing has a performance cost and is deprecated,
+        but kept as default for backward compatibility.
+        """,
+    )
+
+    @default("extract_header_dates")
+    def _extract_header_dates_default(self):
+        msg = """Session.extract_header_dates = True is deprecated in jupyter-client 8.6
+
+        set cfg.Session.extract_header_dates = False
+        or JUPYTER_SESSION_EXTRACT_HEADER_DATES=0
+        to avoid this message.
+        """
+        env_value = os.environ.get("JUPYTER_SESSION_EXTRACT_HEADER_DATES", "") != "0"
+        if env_value:
+            warnings.warn(msg, DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
+            return True
+        else:
+            return False
+
     # if 0, no adapting to do.
     adapt_version = Integer(0)
 
@@ -1076,10 +1107,14 @@ def deserialize(
             msg = "malformed message, must have at least %i elements" % minlen
             raise TypeError(msg)
         header = self.unpack(msg_list[1])
-        message["header"] = extract_dates(header)
+        parent_header = self.unpack(msg_list[2])
+        if self.extract_header_dates:
+            header = extract_dates(header)
+            parent_header = extract_dates(parent_header)
+        message["header"] = header
         message["msg_id"] = header["msg_id"]
         message["msg_type"] = header["msg_type"]
-        message["parent_header"] = extract_dates(self.unpack(msg_list[2]))
+        message["parent_header"] = parent_header
         message["metadata"] = self.unpack(msg_list[3])
         if content:
             message["content"] = self.unpack(msg_list[4])
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index c2be8205..9012ea3d 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ filterwarnings= [
   # from python-dateutil
   "ignore:datetime.datetime.utcfromtimestamp:DeprecationWarning",
   "ignore:datetime.datetime.utcnow:DeprecationWarning",
+  # ignore header dates warning
+  "ignore:.*extract_header_dates.*:DeprecationWarning",
 ]
 
 [tool.coverage.report]
diff --git a/tests/test_session.py b/tests/test_session.py
index f30f44f4..2bcb6ffd 100644
--- a/tests/test_session.py
+++ b/tests/test_session.py
@@ -411,10 +411,14 @@ def _datetime_test(self, session):
         msg = session.msg("msg", content=content, metadata=metadata, parent=p["header"])
         smsg = session.serialize(msg)
         msg2 = session.deserialize(session.feed_identities(smsg)[1])
-        assert isinstance(msg2["header"]["date"], datetime)
-        self.assertEqual(msg["header"], msg2["header"])
-        self.assertEqual(msg["parent_header"], msg2["parent_header"])
-        self.assertEqual(msg["parent_header"], msg2["parent_header"])
+        if session.extract_header_dates:
+            date_type = datetime
+        else:
+            date_type = str
+        assert isinstance(msg2["header"]["date"], date_type)
+        assert isinstance(msg2["parent_header"]["date"], date_type)
+        self.assertEqual(msg["header"], jsonutil.extract_dates(msg2["header"]))
+        self.assertEqual(msg["parent_header"], jsonutil.extract_dates(msg2["parent_header"]))
         assert isinstance(msg["content"]["t"], datetime)
         assert isinstance(msg["metadata"]["t"], datetime)
         assert isinstance(msg2["content"]["t"], str)
@@ -422,7 +426,9 @@ def _datetime_test(self, session):
         self.assertEqual(msg["content"], jsonutil.extract_dates(msg2["content"]))
         self.assertEqual(msg["content"], jsonutil.extract_dates(msg2["content"]))
 
-    def test_datetimes(self, session):
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("extract_header_dates", [True, False])
+    def test_datetimes(self, session, extract_header_dates):
+        session.extract_header_dates = extract_header_dates
         self._datetime_test(session)
 
     def test_datetimes_pickle(self):