On my past vacation I was going to use the time to really clear my head and figure out in which direction I would like my life to go.....yeah, more of those quarter-life crisis issues....

But, I somehow couldn't unwind...I went to a city and was ripping and running to and fro, plus I got sick, so I really didn't find any good time to meditate or just jot down my thoughts and get more in touch with what I am feeling.

A friend suggested Thailand as a good and affordable spot for relaxation and meditation and cleansing, both inside and out.

Can retreats like this be had for 1000 bucks or less flying from SFO? My friend says that the hotel and spa treatments were dirt cheap (like 5 dollars for a shiatsu like massage), but that the airfare is what could be expensive.

Is there any particular site one would suggest or know of for help with more spiritual based retreats and vacations?

There's a place named The Spa at Lamai Beach on Koh Samui. Here's the URL:
http://www.spasamui.com/
I think it will suit your requirements.

Spa or meditation? Or both?

There are of course, hundreds of spa and meditation places in Thailand. They range in price from many hubdreds of dollars a day to well under a hundred dollars, including accommodations, food, spa and or meditational instruction/practice. It depends on what you are loooking for.

$1000 will be mostly eaten up in airfare to get to Thailand. So your idea of dointg a whole retreast for that price is unlikely.

All forrms of spa/massage cane be found, from the real cheap to the most expeinsive.
But before jumping on a place to stay at a hotel and enjoy spa, or perhaps heading to somewhere like Samui ( as texas has said there are retreat style places on Samui, cleansing, all that sort ) I would have a 'think'.

http://www.dharmahealingintl.com is on Samui, perhaps the sort of place you are thinking of.
http://www.kamalaya.com/spa-samui-retreat.htm is another


Your first line mentioned
" really clear my head and figure out in which direction I would like my life to go"

Think if you are sure that sort of place is the way to go for you.

Perhaps just heading to somewhere like Fern Resort in Pai ( near Mae Hong Son in the North) takes you off the beaten track but yet still comfort, a place to unwind, relax, take it easy. Visit the local temple, it's in the mind, so getting away from it all might produce more than a 'planned' spiritual sort of place. Cheaper too!
You may find pklace in your own hometown where you can enjoy Yoga / relaxation with a local group.

Perhaps others will add their ideas but maybe just getting away from it all somewhere like Fern resort might be an idea.

I agree with JamesA, if you're going through any kind of life crisis you will be better finding a peaceful spot near home. Asia can be very unnerving, and if you got severely stressed in a city at home, even just passing through a city like Bangkok could have adverse effects for you.

I hope others will come in on this as it's an interesting subject.

I think if you can get away from the maddening crowds in a nice rural area that still has comfortable accommodation, a place where you can wander, relax, even perhaps spend some time at one of the Elephant camps, whatever, it helps to 're-balance perspectives'.
It can change your views, and help re-set your priotities back to what as they saying goes 'is' important.
If you are interested in animals, wildlife etc let us know, but I wouldn't make the trip just for spa and treatments, but if you make the trip to see life from a different angle then 'yes'.
You can find nice lux spa places like Jirung in Chiang mai but that will cost you about USD 90-110 a night.

Take a calm look at these photos and see if it helps you relax ( it should ! )

http://www.fernresort.info/photogallery.php


http://www.fernresort.info/activities.php

bringing up this old thread to add a useful link, in case anyone else wants to search for places in Thailand to practice their meditation.

http://www.dhammathai.org/e/meditation/page1.php

A place of substance on Phuket - not trying to sell you a "resort" experience - but actually providing quality training and guidance is Atsumi Healing.

www.AtsumiHealing.com